IVC hosts blood drive for UCI
IVC hosts a blood drive for UCI. (American Red Cross)
The UCI Blood Mobile will be accepting blood donations at Irvine Valley College on Tuesday Jan. 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the cafeteria patio quad.
Donors will receive their choice of either a free T-shirt or a pint of Baskin Robbins ice cream for their generosity.
Walk-ins are welcome. Appointments can be made on the UCI Medical Center Web page at https://www.healthcare.uci.edu/blooddrive/Default.aspx?id=IVC.
Donors must be at least 17 years old and have not given blood in the past 56 days. Prospective donors must also be in good health, weigh at least 110 pounds, and have not had a tattoo in the past 12 months.
Photo identification is required. Participants will need to complete a donor history questionnaire, along with an assessment of vital signs, to prove their eligibility.
The Medical Center suggests eating a protein and iron-rich meal, as well as drinking plenty of fluids, prior to donation. They should also avoid alcohol, caffeine and fatty foods immediately before giving blood.
The goal of the blood drive is to increase much needed blood supply for the patients of UC Irvine Medical Center, Orange County’s only Level I Trauma Center.
According to Discover, UCI’s health care community newsletter, the center receives nearly half of the county’s trauma cases every year, most of which involve major injuries requiring transfusions. In addition, it also treats patients with cancer or undergoing chemotherapy, whose bodies are unable to produce the necessary amount of red blood cells.