Donors Can Help Meet Critical Shortage During Campus Blood Drive Nov. 10-11

Faculty, staff and students can help meet a critical need for their fellow Mississippians - and pick up some pretty cool swag – by participating in the Mississippi College Blood Drive Wednesday-Thursday, Nov. 10-11.

Sponsored by Mississippi Blood Services, the drive will be seeking to collect 25 units of blood from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day in a donor coach parked between Provine Chapel and the B.C. Rogers Student Center on the Clinton campus.

According to Tammy Bouchillon, MBS senior marketing representative, blood supplies remain critically low nationwide, and MBS is unable to fill about half of its hospital orders. She said donors participating in MC's blood drive could help bridge the gap for patients most in need of blood.

“Mississippi Blood Services needs 250 pints of blood every day to meet the needs of the hospitals that we supply,” she said. “Many patients who need a transfusion are not receiving it. Hospitals are making the difficult decisions every day as to which of the patients in need will receive the available blood.”

She said the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on blood donations.

“The recent pandemic interfered with our ability to access many of our regular donor groups, creating a shortage which we still have been unable to overcome,” she said. “This critical shortage is being experienced nationwide, preventing us from importing from other areas to supplement our inventory.”

Bouchillon said the pandemic may also have caused many potential donors to question their eligibility to give blood. According to MBS:

Individuals may donate blood if they have received the COVID-19 vaccine. No waiting period is required.

Individuals who have had COVID-19 and recovered from the virus may donate blood if they have been symptom-free for at least 14 days.

Individuals exposed to someone with COVID-19 may donate blood if they have remained symptom-free for at least four days.

Whole blood donors are eligible to donate every 56 days, so individuals who participated in MC’s September drive will be eligible to donate whole blood during this drive.

Now about that swag: all eligible donors who give blood during the Mississippi College Blood Drive will receive an attractive MLB T-shirt and a $10 gift card to Chick-fil-A, eligible to be redeemed at the restaurant in Alumni Hall or at any participating location.

All donors are encouraged to speed up the donation process by completing a donor history questionnaire and making an appointment online. This will help the blood drive team prepare for expected donors and create a smooth donor flow. Walk-up donations will be accepted, but the process may take more time than registered donations.

MBS suggests all donors eat at least four hours before giving blood and drink plenty of fluids before and after donation.

Click here to register for the Wednesday drive, or click here to register for the Thursday drive.

During this campus blood drive, those unavailable to donate can mark their calendars for upcoming Mississippi College drives scheduled for Wednesday-Thursday, Jan. 26-27, 2022, and Wednesday-Thursday, March 30-31, 2022.

Clubs, tribes, and other service organizations at MC are encouraged to sponsor an MBS blood drive as a community service project. For more information about donating blood to MBS, visit msblood.com.