---
title: Arizona College Donates Blood for American Red Cross
url: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/arizona-college-donates-blood-for-american-red-cross/"
type: post
date_published: 2014-07-24
date_modified: 2025-12-26
schema:
  @type: Article
language: en-US
word_count: 716
reading_time: 4 min
canonical: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/arizona-college-donates-blood-for-american-red-cross/"
categories:
  - "Health & Wellness"
topic:
  - Allied Health
---

# Arizona College Donates Blood for American Red Cross

Have you ever donated blood? Donating blood is a simple thing to do and it makes
a significant impact in the lives of others. If you have ever needed surgery,
there is a large chance that you have answered the question, “If required, would
you be willing to accept a blood transfusion?” Donated blood and blood products
processed from donated blood saves lives every day.
[Donated blood](http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-facts-and-statistics)
is used for many purposes; including patients who require a blood transfusion
during or after surgery, chemotherapy patients during treatment, and for
patients living with various medical conditions such as sickle cell disease.
Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and 41,000 pints of donated
blood are used on a daily basis.

Recently, both of our [Arizona College](https://www.arizonacollege.edu/)
campuses partnered with the
[American Red Cross](http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood), and held
successful blood drives at each campus location. The
[Mesa Campus](https://www.arizonacollege.edu/healthcare-careers/mesa-campus/)
drive was held on June 24^(th), and the
[Glendale campus](https://www.arizonacollege.edu/healthcare-careers/glendale-campus/)
drive was held on July 1^(st), 2014.   Students, staff, and faculty came
together and donated blood to help make a difference in the lives of others. The
blood drives were held in actual medical mobile units supplied by the American
Red Cross which resembled medical clinics assembled on a modern, clinical bus.

The goals for both campuses were met, with the Glendale campus exceeding their
goal by 3% and collecting enough blood to save 99 lives! Our students, staff and
faculty truly changed the lives of others who will receive this blood; thank you
for your participation!

The journey from “arm to arm” is quite rigorous and involves many steps to
ensure the blood is safe for use. Do you know what the process entails from when
the blood is donated to when it can actually be used? Here are the interesting
steps in the process:

1. **Donation-**Each donor is screened for medical purposes. A health
   questionnaire and mini physical is performed. 1 pint of blood and several small
   test tubes are collected from each donor. Each collection is labeled with an
   identification tag to track to the donor and is stored in a cooled
   refrigerator.
2. **Processing-**The donated blood is scanned into the database. It is spun in a
   centrifuge to separate the blood components such as platelets, red blood cells
   and plasma. The components are leuko-reduced (white blood cells are removed)
   and bacterially tested. Test tubes are sent to the lab for testing.
3. **Testing-**The test tubes are received at one of five Red Cross National
   Testing Laboratories. A dozen tests are performed on each unit of blood to test
   for blood type and infectious disease.   Test results are generated within 24
   hours; if infectious disease is present, the collection is discarded and the
   donor is notified.
4. **Storage-**When test results are received; all appropriate units are labeled
   and stored. Red blood cells are maintained at a temperature of 6 degrees C for
   up to 42 days. Platelets are stored at room temperature in agitators for up to
   5 days. Plasma is frozen and stored in a freezer for up to 1 year.
5. **Distribution-**Blood is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to be shipped
   to hospitals for patients in need.

If you participated in our recent blood drive, or have ever donated blood in the
past, thank you for your efforts to help others in need of this precious
resource. Keep an eye out on our
[Arizona College Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaCollege) page
regarding future blood drives that Arizona College will be hosting in
collaboration with the American Red Cross.

Are you interested in a career in the medical field? Have you thought of the
possibilities of
[becoming a Medical Assistant](https://www.arizonacollege.edu/healthcare-careers/medical-assistant-with-phlebotomy/)
or a
[Registered Nurse](https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/how-to-become-a-registered-nurse/)
? Make a change in your future, and
[Contact Arizona College](https://www.arizonacollege.edu/request-information/)
today to learn more about our
[allied health degree and diploma programs](https://www.arizonacollege.edu/healthcare-careers/)
offered at our Glendale and Mesa campuses.

---

_Information in this blog post is accurate as of July 24, 2014._

**Categories:** Health & Wellness