January blood drive exceeds goal

January’s Red Cross blood drive last Thursday at Chase County Schools (CCS) exceeded the 80-unit goal by nine units, said Angie Paisley, school nurse and drive coordinator.
All blood donations were screened for COVID-19 antibodies and will continue to be screened through the end of April, Paisley said.
“It’s been a great day. There were four new donors, and we had a full staff of Red Cross workers this time,” she said.
The blood drives recently have been short-staffed due to illnesses causing extended wait times for donors.
Having a full staff meant less wait time and a much smoother operation, Paisley said.
There was a nice cross-section of donors including students, teachers and the community, she said.
One of the new donors was Amy Leibbrandt. Her son, Carter, is a CCS sophomore and one of several new members on the student blood drive team.
Carter recruited his mom to give blood and stood close by for moral support.
“I’m almost done, and it hasn’t been scary yet,” she said.
“We appreciate everyone who came out to give blood,” said Paisley.
Paisley had all appointments filled before last Thursday. Some donors on a waiting list were able to come in during some of the slow periods.
The next blood drive will be March 23 at CCS from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Paisley suggested that donors go to redcrossblood.org and sign up now because time slots fill up fast.