By Lori BODNAR, intern

The Crescenta Valley High School Red Cross Club is holding a blood drive on Tuesday, July 21 at the Christian Life Church. Justin Yi, an incoming senior at Crescenta Valley High School and an officer of the Red Cross Club, is coordinating the blood drive.

“The blood drive is from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the Christian Life Church [is located] at 3013 Montrose Ave. However, our drive is actually full and we are not taking walk-ins due to COVID-19,” said Yi. “So if people still want to help us out and donate, they can schedule an appointment at redcrossblood.org. We are in extreme need of more blood according to hospitals and the Red Cross. Not only has there been a decrease in donations due to COVID-19, but there has also been an increase in how much blood is being used throughout the hospitals.”

There will be many safety measures exercised due to the pandemic.

“The Red Cross will be taking many precautions in light of COVID-19,” added Yi. “All Red Cross personnel will be wearing masks and will change gloves in between each donor. There will be screening for temperature and symptoms before donors come into the main area. There will also be hand sanitizer stations available to the donors. We also expect our donors to be wearing their own facial covering and to practice social distancing. Normally blood drives can accommodate more people with appointments and walk-ins. However, for this drive we are limited to only 55 scheduled appointments.”

Many organizations such as AABB (American Association of Blood Banks), America’s Blood Centers and the American Red Cross have been accepting convalescent plasma donations from patients who have fully recovered from the coronavirus to help treat patients currently fighting COVID-19. Plasma is the liquid part of the blood and “convalescent plasma” is plasma from donors who have recovered from COVID-19 and thus their blood plasma may contain antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that could help patients currently battling the disease.

“Our blood drive is only for whole blood. We will not be taking plasma donations at this drive, but convalescent plasma donation is still available at many other donation sites,” said Yi. “We do offer Power Red donations, which essentially return plasma and platelets to the blood allowing us to safely take two units of red blood cells instead of the one unit we get from whole blood donation. Currently, we are also offering COVID-19 antibody testing to anyone who donates.”

Other Club members are part of the organizing team.

“Right now there are a few other Red Cross Club officers [at CVHs] – Joshua Jeong, Sky Moon and Dahae Choi – who are helping me coordinate and advertise this drive. Beyond that we are working very closely with Red Cross personnel to create a good experience for our donors.”

Yi joined the Red Cross Club and wants to have a career in the medical field.

“I have always taken an interest in healthcare since I was young because my mom has been such a big influence in my life and she works in healthcare. I also wanted to help others in need like my mom,” Yi said. “There is another reason I joined this club. I have been swimming at our school and in a club. Swimming led me to lifeguarding. From there, I became a lifeguard instructor certified by the American Red Cross. The Red Cross path led me to join the Red Cross Club at CVHS. I wanted to be part of a club where I can contribute to this society in the health and wellbeing of community members. The Red Cross Club is not just about blood drives. We also actively participate in testing and installing smoke alarms in low-income housing areas, plus many other activities. I plan to pursue a career in the medical field in the future.”

Though this drive is full, Yi encourages those interested in donating to contact the Red Cross at redcrossblood.org to make arrangements.

  Lori BODNAR