Agreeing to prepare an article about the Puget Sound Blood Center located at Madison Street and Terry Avenue in Seattle, I met with the Coordinator for Volunteer Services. As fate would have it, only four days after our meeting I had an experience which impressed me in dramatic fashion with the vital mission performed by the Center in saving lives and the supportive role of volunteers. My experience started with a severe bout of dizziness. Rushed to a hospital ER, it was discovered that I was losing quite a large quantity of blood and had urgent need for a transfusion of several liters of blood. I can’t recall much of what ensued except that the hospital staff quickly sent out a call for blood.
All is well again; the cause of the bleeding was identified and corrected and I am back at my desk writing about the Puget Sound Blood Center which has been doing the work of safely collecting and storing blood since it was founded 70 years ago. At that time, forward thinking individuals, community agencies and businesses recognized the necessity for an organized effort to collect blood and ensure the safety of the product.
The Puget Sound Blood Center is one of many Centers in the state of Washington and serves as headquarters for the Puget Sound region. Each collection site is responsible for meeting a quota of blood collection within its region. Rapid medical advances in treating various chronic diseases such as hemophilia, diabetes, HIV, sickle cell anemia – in addition to dealing with the consequences of serious accidents, or in surgical procedures, cancer treatment or organ transplants, have led to the need for a greater supply of blood.
In addition to the importance of quantity, it is also necessary to ensure the safe handling of blood for the benefit of patients receiving it and also for the donor. Guidelines for safe collection and storing of blood are issued by the Federal Drug Administration which each Center is required to observe.
In the Puget Sound region there are presently 70 hospitals depending on 21 blood collection centers and 19 mobile units to achieve the daily goal of 800 pints of blood. Each donor contributes one pint of blood toward that quota.
Volunteers play an important role in the smooth operation of the Blood Centers. They can be assigned to registration duties which include taking calls from prospective donors and eliciting information for their screening. This requires some computer skills. Volunteers also need social skills as they are often the first to meet and greet donors on the day of their appointment, review their identifying information and help make them comfortable while awaiting the donation procedure. On completion of the donation procedure, a volunteer may need to help the donor feel at ease while recovering.
The Blood Center ensures that volunteers are prepared for their tasks through an orientation and training program. Like other functions of the Center, the training program has to meet standards set by the FDA [Federal Drug Administration]. The Center also tries to be flexible in making assignments and accommodating volunteer time constraints. Some volunteers who currently serve the Center have served for many years which confirm both the importance of their function as well as the gratification they receive in contributing their time and energy. Anyone interested in volunteering to work at the Blood Center can contact Jan Hancock at RSVP at 206-694-6786. Your call will be gratefully appreciated. I hope my tale will encourage others to support the work of Blood Centers either as blood donors or volunteers.
