Some 249 students, faculty and staff members signed up to donate blood during Delaware County Community College’s semi-annual Red Cross Blood Drive, held this semester on Feb. 3 and 4 in the café on the ground floor of the Academic Building.
But is the café the best place to conduct the blood drive?
Some members of the college community feel that the cafe location is inappropriate, while others believe that there is no problem with it.
Ruth Ziegler has been volunteering for the American Red Cross for three years.
“Twenty people fit on each sheet and we have filled four sheets with names, that is 80 people so far,” Zeigler reported.
When asked if she thought the cafe was a good location for donors to give blood, Zeigler said that it was “a good idea. The only problem is that it is hot in the summer.”
Sam Gallo, a DCCC student, said he thought that the school cafeteria was a good place to have people donate blood.
“It’s not a bad thing because no one’s eating down there,” he said.
But DCCC food service employee Rebecca Kauffmann said the blood drive was driving away customers. “I think it’s not a particularly bright idea to have the blood drive here,” she said.
“Business is very slow. There is less business. I think they [potential diners] see it [the blood drive] and go to the other side.”
College Nurse Georgine Smith, a coordinator of the blood drive, thinks it really isn’t practical to change the location.
According to Smith “the blood drive has been going on for probably nine years.” She said that it was originally held in room 4535, and then was moved to the café. Smith does not want to change it a third time.
“Usually the blood donations are not visible and nobody can see it being taken,” Smith said.
Senior Medical Manager Jere Moyer oversaw the blood donors throughout the day. “It gets very busy. It gets really hot in the café area and that is not good for the patients,” Moyer said.
“Two people passed out,” Moyer continued.
After blood is collected, the “blood types are checked at the NTL [National Testing Labratory] at 7th and Spring Garden,” Moyer explained.
The NTL is where are all the blood donations in the Philadelphia area are first delivered.
Zeigler said that the blood is “later shipped out to area hospitals.”
Student blood donors receive a raffle ticket for a $100 voucher to the College Book Store. Faculty donors get a raffle ticket for a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant.
Since the college blood drive has ended, appointments for donations can be made by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or online at www.pleasegiveblood.org.
Contact the Communitarian at Communitarian@mail.dccc.edu
