Hill Air Force Base to host military blood drive

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt Jarkovey Jordan
  • Installation Blood Drive Manager
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  The Armed Services Blood Bank Center - Pacific Northwest, or ASBBC-PNW, will be conducting a blood drive May 24-25 in the Airman and Family Readiness Center. The doors will be open to accept walk-in donors 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day.

The blood that is collected at the blood drive will be in Iraq or Afghanistan approximately two weeks from the time it is donated. An example of a weekend that requires such donations was the instance in which two sets of soldiers when their vehicles were hit with improvised explosive devices. This event required the transfusion of 135 units of blood; each unit is about a pint. Additionally, there were two soldiers with severe injuries requiring 14 units for one soldier and 51 units for the other. They were able to make it home alive thanks to the gracious donations given by the small percentage of people willing to give up a little time and little of themselves.

The ASBBC-PNW is one of two military blood donor centers in the Western Region. It is based at Fort Lewis/McChord Air Force Base, Wash., and travels all over the Western Region collecting blood from various military organizations and installations. The ASBBC-PNW is seeking all eligible people associated with the Department of Defense to help, this includes contractors, military dependents, retirees, and reservists. Civilians can donate also if they have access.

The ASBBC-PNW has a requirement to fulfill three basic needs:

·The needs of the troops overseas, which is their No. 1 priority

·The needs of the military hospitals in the region

·Any other military hospitals that need additional support during emergencies and extreme patient needs.

In order to meet these requirements, the ASBBC-PNW must collect about 800-1,000 units of blood per month.

There has been difficulty in reaching this goal primarily because the donor pool has shrunk so much due to deployments. When shortages like this occur, the difference must be purchased from civilian blood centers. Depending on the type and availability of blood, prices can range from $200 to $400 per unit.

To make matters worse, even when those deployed return, they will not be eligible to donate for up to a year, depending on where they were. Afghanistan, Iraq and eastern Turkey each carry restrictions from donating.

However, many of the other countries in the Middle East that the military travels to are acceptable. Kuwait and Qatar have no restrictions. Saudi Arabia, Oman, U.A.E. and Egypt all have limited risk in very small areas that the military has no bases near.

The process of donating blood, from beginning to end, takes approximately 45 minutes. This includes registration, interview and physical screening, and the actual collection of a pint of blood which takes 5-10 minutes. Except for the small prick from the needle, the process is pretty painless.

In addition to the travel restrictions for the Middle East, here are some common reasons why potential donors are deferred:

·Spent three months in the United Kingdom or six months anywhere else in Western Europe between 1980 and 1996; or have a cumulative of five years or more in Europe from 1997 to present

·Had a tattoo put on or altered within the past year; although 20 approved states only have a one-week waiting period. A list will be available at the blood drive.

·Stationed in Korea between Seoul and the DMZ in the past two years

Even if a person is found to be ineligible, there are other ways they can help. Emphasizing the importance of donating to others who are eligible can be a big help.

Formally established as the Military Blood Program in 1952 by presidential order as part of the National Blood Program, today's Armed Services Blood Program consists of approximately 81 blood banks and blood donor centers worldwide, including 21 Food and Drug Administration licensed blood donor centers. Some, like the Armed Service Blood Bank Center are Joint Operations consisting of Army, Air Force and Navy personnel.

A staff member will answer questions at the door during the drive to help you determine whether or not you are eligible. If you have any questions specifically about the blood drive, contact the installation coordinator Staff Sgt. Jarkovey Jordan at (801) 777-2154. Additionally, you can find other answers to become a donor, or to find out if you are eligible by going to the Armed Services Blood Program Web site: http://www.militaryblood.dod.mil/default.aspx, do a search by Sponsor Code: HILL. This Web site also allows you to make an appointment if you have time constraints.