Donating Blood for Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort

The American Red Cross and other disaster relief organizations around the world have rallied to the call for aid following the massive earthquakes and aftershocks in Haiti this month. Donations of blood and medical supplies are pouring into the tiny Caribbean country as quickly as logistics will allow, and those supplies will need to be replenished as they are exhausted.

If you have no money to spare, there are other ways you can donate, and giving blood is one way you can help those suffering in Haiti. The American Red Cross reports that they are providing blood and blood products to Haiti from supplies on hand, but there will be a need for the universal Type O negative blood to replenish depleted stock and respond to further emergency situations worldwide.

Does it Hurt to Donate Blood?

Giving blood is relatively painless; if you can suffer through a routine blood draw or flu shot during your annual physical, you'll have no trouble surviving the blood donation process. The procedure takes only a few minutes and you should suffer no ill effects from having donated a pint of blood. Blood donation centers have juice and cookies available to snack on, which should fend off any slight dizziness you may experience immediately following your donation. Whatever minor discomfort you may notice is a small price to help Haiti's earthquake survivors and victims of other tragedies.

In addition to donating whole blood, you may also donate platelets, plasma and double red cells. Information about the types of donations may be found here.

Where Can I Donate Blood?

The Red Cross has regional chapters throughout the country. You can find the location of a blood drive in your area by entering your zip code here. If there isn't a Red Cross blood drive scheduled near your location soon, take the initiative and help organize one.

Statistics show that only 38% of the general populace in America meets the physical criteria to donate blood, and a mere 8% of those eligible actually donate. If unable to give blood yourself, there are many ways you can volunteer to assist a Red Cross donation center in your area; a few of them are noted here.

Will you be one small part of that 8%? Make a call or sign up online today.

Sources:
Personal experience
RedCrossBlood.org