The MEDS club Blood Drive, held on March 19, received over 173 pints of blood. Each pint of blood helps three people.
MEDS club Vice President Senior Lalita Kunameni donated blood during the drive, and emphasized why it’s important.
“Blood cannot be artificially produced, there’s someone in need of blood every three seconds, and every one in three people get a blood transfusion over the course of their lifetime,” Kunamneni said.
MEDS club sponsor Ruth Scarbrough brought down her anatomy and physiology classes to assist with the drive. Many of these students want to pursue careers in the medical fields, and this gave them real life experience.
“They can actually see a real life scenario where you have to have your wits about you and you can’t be playing with your phone,” Scarbrough said.
Scarbrough said participating in this blood drive, allows students to gain experience and also decide if they want to pursue the research or hands on side of the medical field. Participating in the blood drive gave students the chance to learn their blood type, along with other vitals such as iron and cholesterol level.
“It really helps them connect the dots of what we learn in class as well,” Scarbrough said. “The application is huge.”
On the day of the blood drive, MEDS club members started to set up at 7:30 a.m. During the drive they managed the sign in and sign out area, along with giving students snacks and water before and after giving blood.
MEDS club has over 150 members and have been hosting the blood drive for several years. The blood drive is held towards the end of the year since blood supply is critical during the summer months. During those months, the Red Cross sees a decline in new donors, and donors often delay giving blood due to summer plans.
“Our society in the United States is very narcissistic,” Scarbrough said. “This is a really sobering experience where it really makes them look outside themselves and see someone else’s need.”
