In this season of giving, there's a simple way for Eastern Iowans to give the gift of life. They can donate blood. Blood centers across the U.S. are in need of donors, especially during the busy holiday season, when donations tend to dip. That's especially true at Eastern Iowa's largest hospital, where a particular type of blood product is needed.
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics serves a wide variety of patients. As part of their care, many patients require platelets - or tiny cells that help the blood to clot. The hospital's goal is to be self-sufficient, relying only on donated blood. But because platelets can only be stored for five days, there's a constant need for donors. That's why the De-Gowin Blood Center is always looking for new donors.
"The need for blood never really stops. It's an everyday thing. We average at this hospital about 90 different transfusions of all kinds every day. We don't take holidays off, don't take weekends off, so the need is always there, especially during the holidays when the donations tend to dip a little bit," says Mitch Overton of the DeGowin Blood Center.
It takes anywhere from one to two hours to donate platelets. Donated blood runs through a cell separator and can divide cells into different blood components, including platelets, plasma and red blood cells. Specialists say donating platelets - especially during the holiday season - is a great way to help others.
"I think it gives them an opportunity to give something back to the community and to the hospital here, as well as a personal satisfaction of knowing that just by giving of their time, they can help sometimes one, sometimes multiple patients in the hospital to get through a tough time," says Martha Wieland, of the DeGowin Blood Center. And time is all it takes - to give the gift of life this holiday season.
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