citizensmemorial.com 13 WELLNESS How long does it take to give blood? The donation process includes registration, a brief medical screening, the blood donation itself and time for refreshments in the canteen. The amount of time depends on what you are donating. Whole blood donation: Less than 1 hour. Apheresis (platelet) donation: Less than 2 hours. (Only available at the CBCO Springfield Donor Center.) How much blood will I donate? Whole blood and apheresis donations are about 1 pint of liquid that weighs about 1 pound. What are platelets? Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are tiny cell fragments circulating throughout the blood and aiding in blood clotting. How often can I give? Whole blood donors: Once every 56 days. Double red cell donors: Every 112 days in order to allow individuals plenty of time to replenish their red cells. Apheresis (platelet) donors: As often as each week up to 24 times per year. Am I old enough to give blood? Blood donors must be 17 or older, unless you are 16 and have written consent from a parent or guardian. What is the universal blood type? Type O negative is the “universal blood type” that anyone with any blood type can receive. Where will my blood go after I donate it? Community Blood Center of the Ozarks provides blood products to patients in 44 hospitals in southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas and southeast Kansas, including Citizens Memorial Hospital. CBCO is a nonprofit, community-supported organization. How long until a patient receives my blood? Blood donations are tested and ready for transfusion within 24 hours after donation. Whole blood donations provide red cells, platelets and plasma. Each has a different storage time range: Red cells: 42 days. Plasma: 12 months if frozen. Platelets: 7 days. How may I have a blood drive at work? Hosting a blood drive is a fantastic way to help the community. Learn more at www.cbco.org/host-a-drive. Source: Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (www.cbco.org) 860 RED BLOOD CELL transfusions 2024 blood drives: Save the dates! CMH partners with the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks to host blood drives in Bolivar. All blood drives in 2024 are in the fellowship hall of Southern Hills Baptist Church, 1220 S. Springfield Ave. » Jan. 4 » March 1 » May 9 » Aug. 29 » Oct. 24 » Dec. 26 Appointments are not necessary but are strongly encouraged. To schedule an appointment, call 417-227-5006 or go to www.cbco.org/donate-blood. Blood donation FAQ she is able to smile, walk and talk and enjoy time with her kids again.” ‘YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN’ Kolkmeyer suggests that first-time blood donors go with someone who has donated before. “The people are well-trained. It’s no worse than going for a blood test,” she says. “I didn’t do very well the first time, but I kept going. I figured it out.” After graduating from pharmacy school in 2005, Kolkmeyer coordinated blood drives in the communities where she lived and worked. “Coordinating is not difficult at all,” she says. “You can make it happen.” CBCO has resources at www.cbco.org/ host-a-drive to help anyone who may want to organize a local blood drive. See the sidebar above for 2024 blood drive dates hosted by CMH. Or go to www.cbco.org/donate-blood to find other blood drive dates and locations.
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