CCS hosts Red Cross blood drive

On Thursday, Jan. 18, the Chase County Schools will be hosting an American Red Cross blood drive in the auxiliary gymnasium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school has extended an invitation to the readers of the Imperial Republican to donate their blood for use in life-saving procedures. The Red Cross, however, does have a list of criteria that a potential donor must meet before they can donate. We have provided the ones that are most applicable and are based around time.
To donate, one must be at least 110 lbs. Anyone 18 or younger must also be 5’3” (for girls) or 5’ (for boys) tall. Anyone 17 or older may donate blood on their own but those who are 16 may do so as long as their parent/guardian gives consent. Any exposure to highly infectious or lethal diseases such as malaria, the flu, CDJ, the Ebola and/or Zika virus, will not be able to donate to this specific blood drive, unless the exposure was more than three months ago. In the past, males who identified as gay or bisexual were prevented from donating. As of last August, anyone of any orientation is allowed to donate. The only way they will be deferred is if they have been with a new or multiple partners, in which they will have to wait three months.
This list is only a portion of the extensive criteria for donation. For any uncovered, a full list can be found on the American Red Cross website, under “Donate Blood”, “How to Donate”, and then “Eligibility Requirements.” Chase County Schools has also informed the paper that their donation goal for this year is 82 units. For those who can donate blood, walk-ins are accepted, though the school said that the afternoon is usually less busy than the morning. For those who do not meet any of the criteria to donate but still wants to help, Red Cross encourages providing a financial donation or volunteering as a worker where there is a blood drive happening.