OneBlood encourages Bobcat community to save lives

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STEP ON THE BUS: On October 11th, 2023, Pembroke Pines firefighter, Peter Donohue donated his blood at West Broward’s OneBlood drive. It was organized by Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA). All the samples of blood collected were sent to Jackson Memorial Hospital, Memoral-Regional Health Hospital and Baptist Health Hospital throughout Broward and Dade County. Photo by Alejandro Bocaranda.

By: Alejandro Bocaranda and Jacob Mondesir

In the U.S., only 6.8 million-people regularly donate blood to organizations and medical centers in need. To combat this deficit, the OneBlood non-profit organization has been regularly hosting blood drives across South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The Health Informational Project (H.I.P.) program has partnered with OneBlood and introduced quarterly blood drives to students and teachers on campus through the use of the iconic Big Red Bus.

The blood drive has proved to be a significant success, garnering hundreds of blood donations from students aged 16 and older, as well as their family members. The event aims to collect blood donations to contribute to OneBlood’s ongoing mission, dedicated to supporting communities in health crises since its establishment in 2012.

“This has been the best turnout we have had in the last four years,” said Health Science teacher Lisa Bruce.

For over 10 years, OneBlood has made a powerful impact on struggling communities in South Florida and beyond. The organization is a merging of well-known blood donation centers in Miami, and quickly became popular for their unique prizes for donors. They have held multiple famous campaigns,including free movie tickets, snacks and gift cards. The company supports the local medical centers such as Jackson Memorial Hospital, Memorial Regional Hospital and Baptist Health Hospital.

“They get their blood from Publix grocery stores, movie theaters, police departments and hospitals, and they always have the OneBlood mobile vehicle outside,” Bruce said. “They offer gifts such as gift cards and movie tickets, but they get most of their blood from high schools.”

To transfer blood to the hospitals, OneBlood must go through a certain list of steps. They first extract the blood from the donor then deliver the supply to a lab in Hialeah. The lab then processes the blood for 24 hours and is sent directly to the hospital to be later given to a patient in need. This process has proven effective and efficient in helping many patients in need of transfusions.

“Did you know you can save three lives with one pint of blood? Also, plasma is used for cancer; babies, teens, adults, pediatrics, so it is important,” Bruce said. “I wish students would not do it for ‘Oh I get a gift card or hours or food and I don’t have to eat the school food. But at this point, to be honest, I do not care what [students] are doing. They are donating and they are saving three lives and that is what matters to me.”

OneBlood, sponsored by the H.I.P. program, has been hosting a quarterly blood drive on campus to promote the donation of blood amongst students. Two blood donations have taken place for the 2023-2024 school year, happening on Oct. 9-10 and Dec. 11-12. Compared to previous years, there have been an overwhelming amount of donations following the COVID-19 pandemic. OneDrive’s biggest success has been found through visiting schools, where their offered rewards have resulted in over 152 students who donated plasma, red blood cells and whole cells. There was a steep decrease in donations during the pandemic, however, productivity has quickly picked up , and even surpassed pre-COVID numbers this year.

“I had seven blood transfusions in the last two years as I almost lost my leg and had to have eight surgeries,” Bruce said. “This year, I really pushed my kids and I kept telling them they do not understand how important it is. I showed them the video I made of my leg and everything that happened to me. I showed them because you never know if it might be the one person you know, which was me.”