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Next year, Red Cross Health & Safety Committee is planning two semester-long programs, which consist of providing CPR and First Aid training opportunities for 1) freshmen and 2) on-campus groups (club teams, medically oriented organizations, etc). We are also hoping to expand our involvement in the Durham community by holding CPR courses in local high schools and the latino population.

If you are interested in helping us plan events and projects for next year, the Outreach Board has positions open. We also need people who are interested in managing the finances for our club. Primary duties of the Finance Board will include fundraising, planning budgets, and ordering materials for our programs.

Please refer to the DRC H&S Application attachment below for more info on positions. To apply, please email us the completed application by Saturday, April 9th by 12am (midnight).

Click here for the application!

"Donating Blood One Time Can Potentially Save the Lives of Three People" By Rochel Shapiro, RN, BSN

Fun Facts about Blood Donation

• How can one person potentially save the lives of three people, in under an hour? When a person donates blood, the person who needs the transfusion might receive either whole blood, or blood products. Whole blood can be processed to create four separate life-saving products: red blood cells, platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate (American Red Cross, n.d.).

• Donated blood is needed every two seconds in the United States

• Out of every ten people admitted to the hospital, one person will need a blood transfusion. Blood donation is needed by people with Sickle Cell Anemia, cancer patients, accident victims (American Red Cross, n.d.), patients who have lost blood during surgery, and other people who are critically ill.

• A healthy person who has donated blood can produce a continuous supply of red blood cells, plasma, and platelets in a few hours, to a few weeks (American Red Cross, n.d.).

• Researchers are investigating ways to create artificial blood, but have not yet discovered alternatives. Patients are donating their own blood before procedures for reuse, and new surgical procedures are available to reduce the amount of blood lost during surgery (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 2009). Blood donation is still urgently needed.

• The Function of Blood: Blood contains cells, and liquids, and each component of blood is necessary to sustain life. Red blood cells carry oxygen and other essential nutrients to the body’s tissues, and removes waste products, such as carbon dioxide. White blood cells protect against infection, platelets help control bleeding by forming clots, and blood plasma contains water, protein, electrolytes, carbohydrates, cholesterol, hormones, and vitamins (Nemours Foundation, 2009).

References

American Red Cross. (n.d.). 50 quick facts. Retrieved from http://www.givelife2.org/sponsor/quickfacts.asp

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. (2009). What is a blood transfusion? Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/bt/bt_whatis.html

Nemours Foundation. (2009). Blood transfusions. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/medical_care/transfusions.html

Rochel Shapiro is a NJ Registered Nurse and Freelance Medical and Legal Writer. She is the former President of the SUNY,RN to BSN Student Board, and is a member of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and the Delhi Nursing Honor Society. Ms. Shapiro is a student in the MSN program and can be contacted via e-mail: rochel.shapiro@duke.edu.

Free T-shirts!...DONATE BLOOD!

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East Campus CPR Competition Information!

Want $1000 for your dorm? Learn CPR!


Use our calendar to sign up for CPR classes in October and first two weeks of November OR request a special training session just for your dorm by emailing us at redcrossduke@gmail.com, and get the highest percentage of people in your dorm trained to earn $1000 for anything you want! Make sure to sign up for a class designated as "open to undergrads". You can learn how to save a life in just two hours! Also, don't miss our East Campus CPR Showdown in mid-November (date TBA) where we will announce the winner of the competition, as well as have free food, tshirts, prizes and music!