Photo By Tech. Sgt. Raymond Mills | Senior Airman Brittany Rodriguez, a medical laboratory technician with the 673d...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- To give blood is to give the gift of life to someone in need, and the Blood Bank of Alaska and laboratory technicians from the 673rd Medical Group facilitates this process on a daily basis.
The blood bank and lab technicians work round the clock to ensure there is a constant supply of healthy blood to support civilian and military demands. By maintaining donor programs, medical facilities guarantee they are ready to provide this lifesaving resource upon request.
The process begins when a volunteer enters the Bloodmobile, the BBA’s mobile collection unit. Potential candidates complete a questionnaire, which is reviewed by trained blood collection technicians before being deemed qualified.
Getting accurate donor history prior to donating minimizes lookbacks, which results in technicians identifying possible issues with blood units that have already been transfused. When issues are identified due to changes in the donor’s history the recipient must be informed of the situation and that the donor didn’t meet the qualifications to donate.
“It’s a tedious process to track down a unit so it’s best to ensure you provide accurate information in regards to medication, travel, illnesses and family history and to be completely honest when you’re answering the questions, Glenn said.”
Once the donor is cleared, a technician begins the blood collection process - which takes about 15 minutes. From start to finish, the entire donation process usually takes less than an hour.
William Amituani, a team lead for the BBA, said there is always a need for blood, and the BBA is the only agency in Alaska that collects blood for the 26 major hospitals throughout the state.
Although the BBA is always trying to increase their donor numbers, some customers remain loyal to the cause.
“I donate regularly because I know it’s going to someone who may need it during lifesaving emergencies, and knowing you took the time to help someone you may not know, or ever see is worthwhile in itself,” said Gregory Stevens, an electrician work leader with the 773rd Civil Engineer Squadron. “The staff was extremely professional, courteous and nice. They always do a terrific job when you come to donate.”
Blood comprises three components, the red blood cells, plasma and platelets. According to Glenn, not everybody needs all components. Due to this reason, it’s important for people to understand that various components can be donated.
“Once we remove the platelets from a unit of donated whole blood, there isn’t quite enough platelets to give to a patient,” Glenn said. “We need at least six of those bags to give to a patient. If you go to the blood bank and donate platelets, they can get the equivalent of six bags of platelets from you instead of six different donors. This is important for patients who have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy. Their immune system is already weak so you want to expose them to as few people as possible to keep them safe.”
After the collection is done, a portion of the blood is offered back to the donating base.
“We do not have a military blood donor center here, but we do have an agreement with the BBA,” Glenn said. “They conduct approximately three or four blood drives a month on JBER and the units they collect are used to support the state of Alaska and this hospital.”
Once the BBA collects a unit of blood, it’s tested for various contagions to ensure it meets quality standards prior to being placed in cold storage for future use.
A typical unit of blood can last up to 42 days, depending on how it is collected and stored, but JBER also has a frozen blood program that allows units to be frozen for up to 10 years - which minimizes waste.
“When you are ready to use a frozen unit, you thaw it out, wash it several times using saline and machines to clean the red blood cells,” Glenn said. “Once the blood is thawed and cleaned, it’s like a fresh unit and lasts two weeks.”
After the unit is prepared, it is stored until needed for transfusion.
“There is no substitution for blood, and it’s important to have a robust blood program and to always have units on the shelf and available for immediate access,” Glenn said. “We encourage people to donate at the Blood Bank of Alaska blood drives, so we can support the community, because it is the only blood supply for the state and there is no other organization collecting blood.”
Prior to donating, donors should hydrate and be well rested.
People interested in donating can go to view service hours and locations at http://www.bloodbankofalaska.org/hours-locations.html.
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2016 19:00 |
| Story ID: | 192339 |
| Location: | JBER, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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