Boxes filled with snacks sit on a table for recovering blood donors on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 at Memorial Union in Columbia, Mo. The event was hosted by MU’s Red Cross Club.
The event aimed to combat the worst national blood shortage in two decades.
MU Red Cross Club hosted a blood drive in the north wing of Memorial Union on Jan. 31. The event aimed to combat the national shortage of blood transfusions for patients with sickle cell disease which creates a constant shortage of healthy red blood cells.
The event saw over 20 appointments, and even more walk-in donations. Donors included both students and event volunteers. Ella Follen, an MU Red Cross Club member and freshman medical student, volunteered at the post-donation snack station and donated blood.
“I enjoy working with the Red Cross,” Follen said. “I have been working with them through high school.”
The Red Cross Club intentionally staggers their donation events from blood drives by Greek Life organizations to maximize donations. Freshman Jaelyn Vega donated blood at the event to earn competition points for Sigma Eta Rho, MU’s coed medical fraternity.
In addition to biannual blood drives and life support training, Sean Zurek, logistics chair for MU Red Cross Club, said the club intends to go beyond the Red Cross’ biomedical branch and venture into humanitarian outreach.
“One of the things that we’re really entertaining trying to do is going around and helping families who are in low socioeconomic status and replacing their fire alarms for a little while,” Zurek said.
Zurek also said that the blood drive aimed to receive donations from people of color. According to the Red Cross, most people in the United States who have sickle cell are of African descent, and receiving blood from people of a similar ethnicity is crucial to transfusion success.
“That’s the primary issue we’re trying to face at the moment,” Zurek said.
Snacks and refreshments sit on a table for recovering blood donors on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 at Memorial Union in Columbia, Mo. The snacks are intended to help the donors return their glucose levels back to normal.
Boxes filled with snacks sit on a table for recovering blood donors on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 at Memorial Union in Columbia, Mo. The event was hosted by MU’s Red Cross Club.
Edited by Sophia Anderson | sanderson@themaneater.com
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