Blood donations give back in more than one way

Since 2013, OneBlood has partnered with FIU to bring the Big Red Bus to both the Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay campuses allowing students, faculty and staff to donate blood.

In 1818, James Blundell performed the first successful blood transfusion of human blood to a patient who had given birth. Despite technological advances in medicine, human donors remain the only viable source for blood transfusions. According to OneBlood, a not-for-profit blood center, there are nearly one million units of blood collected annually throughout Florida and into parts of South Georgia and Alabama, which are shared with more than 200 hospital partners and their patients.

Since 2013, OneBlood has partnered with FIU to bring the Big Red Bus to both the Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay campuses allowing students, faculty and staff to donate.

“Students are not only helping patients and helping maintain a safe and stable blood supply, but they are also helping themselves,” said Nieves Losa, vice president of operations for OneBlood. She notes that each donor is given a free “mini physical” to ensure they are a healthy candidate to donate and are notified if test results show high blood pressure and cholesterol or low iron levels.

Recently OneBlood has given back to the FIU community by donating $40,000 over the past two years to the Student Affairs Scholarship Fund, which helps students succeed in their academic careers.

“The Dean of Students, Ombudsman and academic deans nominate students who encounter financial barriers in their academic careers,” said Matilde Gramling, executive director for Student Affairs. “These students are brought to the attention of the vice president for Student Affairs who awards the scholarship.”

Thus far one student has benefited from the scholarship but Gramling is positive it will benefit many more in the near future.

OneBlood’s donation helps students in need and, in turn, FIU donors help increase the likelihood that more patients will find the match they need, particularly given by donors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. With just one pint of blood, three patients can be helped. Last year alone, OneBlood received 2,848 blood donations from the FIU community and saved more than 7,500 lives.

OneBlood will accept donations on both campuses for one week every month. Click here to view a full schedule of dates and times. For more information about the Student Affairs Scholarship Fund, call 305-348-2797.