This past Tuesday, March 15, our Fundamentals in Biomedical Sciences class got the opportunity to visit LifeSouth's Mobile location to learn all about the complex process of blood donation. We are facing a global blood crisis as very few people are willing to donate to those in need. LifeSouth is working diligently to combat this in and around the Mobile Area. LifeSouth is the main source of blood for various hospitals around Mobile such as, but not limited to, Springhill Medical Center, Thomas Hospital, USA Medical Center, Providence Hospital, and Mobile Infirmary.
The blood donation process begins long before ever inserting a needle in a patient. LifeSouth has many dedicated workers who schedule and organize blood drives all around the community at local schools, events, and colleges. Donors must fit many criteria to be able to donate such as being at least 16 years of age and having appropriate Iron Levels.
A donor will have roughly one pint of blood taken. This blood is put into 6 sample tubes and one bag. The sample tubes will be flown out that very day for testing to ensure your blood is safe to transplant. The bag of blood is put into a centrifuge where it will be spun extremely fast to separate into 3 parts-platelets, red blood cells, and plasma.
Everyday LifeSouth's primary hospitals send in orders everyday, so everyday LifeSouth employees drive all over the state and even out of state to deliver blood to hospitals. Though it is often overlooked, those at LifeSouth are just as important as those who administer these blood donation. These workers work extremely hard to keep our hospital shelves stocked with properly labeled and safe to use blood.
I greatly enjoyed this short field trip and all the sweet ladies at LifeSouth!
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