Monthly, the Concord Center needs to see a minimum of 100 platelet donors to meet the upwards of 700 platelet products goal. Similarly, this center needs to see a minimum of 100 whole blood donors to contribute to the overall need for whole blood.

Below is a list of our new Concord Center Hours. If you live or work in the Cabarrus County region, please consider donating at the Concord Center. You can watch a movie while you roll up your sleeves; have an ice cream treat while knowing that you are saving local lives.

Center Hours:

• Sunday: 7:30am-5:00pm
• Monday: 10:00am-8:00pm
• Tuesday: 10:00am-8:00pm
• Wednesday: Closed
• Thursday: Closed
• Friday: 7:30am-5:00pm
• Saturday: 7:30am-5:00pm

To make an appointment at any of CBCC’s five regional locations (Charlotte, Concord, Gastonia, Hickory or Monroe) or at a community blood drive, call 704-972-4700 or visit www.carolinadonor.org.

Step 1: Go to our website www.cbcc.us and click “Donate Blood”

Step 2: Click “Make An Appointment to Donate Blood”

Step 3: You will have a few options.

1. If you have NOT logged on to our website since January 1,2013 click “Already donated with CBCC but DO NOT have a login. Create my login”

• When you click this you will need to enter in some data

• After you hit “Continue” you will be sent an email to set up your account. If you did NOT include an email when you registered to donate blood you can not proceed. Please call Social Media Gal, Molly, at 704-972-4723 if you wish to add it and set up an online account. Click the link on the email:

• You will be promoted to create a username, password and answer some security questions. Once you do this, you are ready to schedule appointments and track your health stats.You will be promoted to create a username, password and answer some security questions. Once you do this, you are ready to schedule appointments and track your health stats.

2. If you forgot your username – that you created after January 1, 2013 click “Forget Your Username.”

• When you click this you will need to enter in some data:

• You will be prompted to answer a security question you answered when you first set up your account.

• You will receive an email with your username.

3. If you forgot your password click “Forget your Password”?  Note that your default password is your birthdate 03/19/2000

• You might know automatically you have forgotten it, and you can click that or if you try and enter it, and the password is incorrect you will see this screen.

•  You will be prompted to answer a security question you answered when you first set up your account.

•  If you answer the security question correctly, you can change your password from there. Then you are ready to schedule appointments and track your health stats.

4. If you are completely new to donating with CBCC, click “Never donated with CBCC but want to schedule an appointment? Make an appointment now”

• You will be prompted to fill out this form. Once you do, you can go ahead and schedule an appointment.

Never fear, if you are having any difficulty you can call Lindsay at 704-972-4716 and she will walk you through the process.

Geographically, we cover quite a bit of land. Searching for a blood drive in a location that’s convenient for you is easy! Just follow these steps.

1. Go to: http://www.cbcc.us/
2. Click on “Make an appointment to donate.” *note that all blood drives for the current month are listed here

3. Click on “Donate Blood or Platelets”

 4. You will see this screen and have 3 options:

• You can search by Zip Code

• You can search by City

• You can find appointment times at one of our 5 Donor Centers

-> Here is a zip code search example for zip code 28601:

• I entered the zip code I wanted and clicked “search”

• Here are the results. *note that our donor centers would show up in this list if they fit your search parameters.

->Here is a city search example for Albemarle:

• I entered the city I wanted and clicked “search”

• Here are the results. *note that our donor centers would show up in this list if they fit your search parameters.

Donating blood is an activity that many of our dedicated donors treat as an important part of their regular routine. Regardless of where you donate, we acknowledge and appreciate the time and effort involved with each visit.  Of course, if you run into any problems or need help navigating our website please call us at 704-972-4700.

1)      Registration: This process is simply verifying your identity.  You will give your name, DOB, telephone number, email and address.  It is important to fill these things in accurately for a couple reasons.  1 – If something were ever to turn up when your blood is screened, we need to be able to contact you right away.  2 – We can let you know about future blood drives in your area so you don’t have to wonder or go searching for your next drive.  You will also be informed about when you are eligible to donate again.

2)      Histories: You will then be directed into a private area or room where you will fill out a couple dozen questions about your personal history.  This is the number one way we make sure your blood is safe to transfuse into another patient.  If you were in a malaria-risk area in the last year, for example, the virus could linger in your system dormant for some time.  Giving your blood to someone else (especially someone with an already weak immune system) could cause more harm than good.  You will be asked questions about your sexual history, your history of travel outside the US, medical and health history.  Most of these are quite easy to answer. After you’ve filled it all out, a staff member will look over your answers, ask you about foreign travel, and otherwise assess that you are still a viable blood donor.

3)      Checking your vitals: After your history has been completed and all your questions check out, the technician will take your blood pressure and pulse using an arm cuff.  They will then prick the edge of one finger to test your blood’s iron level.  This does not hurt nearly as much as having your finger pricked as child did because it is on the side of your finger (not the tip) and it’s only one tiny drop they need.  I’d suggest getting a finger pricked on the opposite arm from the one you wish to have blood drawn from.  (How do you know which arm you want blood drawn from?  I’d ask the technician to look at the veins in both arms and tell you which they think looks better). A “normal” level for iron is between a 12 and 15 – but for blood donation, you must have at least a 12.5.

4)      Getting in the chair: If you pass all the vital tests, you will be given a blood bag inside a folder to bring to a chair.  The phlebotomists will help you choose a chair that works for your preferred arm. They will bring you a blanket if you are cold or a snack/drink if you feel you need one.  They will talk to you and try to calm you down – and they are surprisingly good at it.

5)      The draw: They will serialize the crook of your arm with alcohol for a good long while, and then put a band on your upper arm to make your vein easier to see before they stick you.  They will usually tell you before they stick you (unless, like me, you ask them not to).  The needle is supposedly a bit large (I don’t look), but they are so good at their job, I barely felt the stick.  (The nurses at my doctor’s office use the tiniest needles but they always mess up and have to stick me multiple times – the staff at CBCC are awesome at what they do.)  Once the needle is in and the blood is flowing, the band will be removed and they may give you a rubber ball to squeeze on to keep the blood flowing well.

Note – if blood or the sight of blood/needles freaks you out like it does to me, DON’T LOOK!!  I told them to make sure and cover the draw site (which they did) and then I also got covered in a blanket because I was cold.

6)      Filling up a bag takes anywhere from about 4 to 15 minutes for most donors.  It took me 5 minutes.  If you drink a lot of water, especially the days leading up to the donation, your blood will flow faster and your veins will be easier to find.

7)      Finishing up: When the bag is filled, they will let you know and remove the needle.  Again, I barely felt this part.  They then ask you to press hard on the spot where they drew from with gauze – the harder you press, the less likely you will bruise. You will then be asked to raise your arm above your head for a few seconds.  After that, they will bandage you with gauze and a big blue bandage.  If you not feeling woozy, you will be allowed to sit up, then stand up and go to the canteen where you can get some yummy snacks and drinks while you rest.

That’s it!  You just saved three lives and it took 30 minutes to an hour of your time.  My first experience was so surprisingly easy that I’m signed up to donate again on Feb. 14 – exactly 56 days from my first donation.  It’s quite fitting that I’m donating again on the day of love.  Because after all, giving blood is a gift of love.  Love your neighbors as yourself.  That’s what I’m doing – loving on my neighbors, even if I may not know them.  I’m showing love to complete strangers and keeping other people’s loved ones alive.  CBCC isn’t asking for your money – just your love.  And that’s something I can give.  Will you?

Ever wonder if those doctors from Grey’s Anatomy know what they are talking about? This is an extremely good blog post from our friends across the country giving some examples about the accuracy of medical shows on TV.  http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2012/10/transfusion-med.html

This article from Mental Floss explains the process well.

In brief summary, most of the time nothing happens because the donors DNA never makes it to the point of transfusion.  This is because blood centers divide your pint of blood into 3 possible components – plasma, platelets and red blood cells.  If the donor receives a white blood cell transfusion or a not very common whole blood transfusion then there is a chance some of the donor’s DNA will be detected in the patient.  It usually is only detectable for 3-4 weeks, but in cases of larger transfusions has been detected for up to a year and a half.

More than 400 blood products are needed each day to help area cancer, cardiovascular, trauma and transplant patients being treated in one of our 21 area hospitals.  More blood products are needed by the patients in our community daily than has ever been required for a domestic disaster.

One in seven people will need a blood transfusion sometime in their lifetime. Cancer patients account for almost 20 percent of all blood transfusions given. Blood needs to be donated, tested, ready and available for transfusion before it’s needed.  If you have ever wondered where the blood donated goes, here is a list of some medical treatments and the amount of blood used for them:

• Heart surgery- up to 25 units of red blood cells and 1 platelet transfusion.
• A liver transplant recipient-up to 20 units of red blood cells, 25 units of plasma and 1 platelet transfusion.
• A sickle cell anemia patient- 2-10 units of red blood cells per treatment.
• A cancer patient requiring high doses of chemotherapy-up to 16 platelet transfusions.
• A marrow transplant recipient-up to 20 units of red blood cells and 25 platelet transfusions.
• A trauma victim- up to 50 units of red blood cells.
• Fractures Hip/Joint Replacement- 2-5 units of red blood cells.
• Brain Surgery- up to 10 units of red blood cells.

Primary uses for blood products:

1. Cancer patients
2. Cardiac patients
3. Transplant patients

21% of all patients in our hospitals depend on the availability of blood for their treatment.  Please donate regularly and help us make sure blood is available for our neighbors, family members and friends.

True/False

1. Sickle Cell Trait and Disease are only found in African Americans.
2. Sickle Cell Disease is contagious.
3. People with Sickle Cell Disease are more at risk for infections.
4. Sickle Cell Trait can become Sickle Cell Disease.
5. The only way to determine is you have a Hemoglobin disorder is to take a blood test.

Answers:

1. False, In the United States, sickle cell disease is most common in African American and person of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indians ancestry. It also affects other groups including Hispanics/ Latinos and Asians. A growing number of Caucasian Americans in North Carolina are being identified with sickle cell trait (carrier) and other abnormal hemoglobin types.
2. False, Unlike cold or HIV, SCD is not contagious. You have to be born with the disease.
3. True, Curved, sticky blood cells can clog the spleen and prevent it from helping the body kill germs.
4. False, You are born with either no-trait, Sickle Cell Trait or Sickle Cell Disease.
5. True, A simple, painless blood test called the hemoglobin electrophoresis can be done by your doctor or local sickle cell foundation.

How you can help:

Being a regular blood donor provides the necessary support to our local patients with Sickle Cell.  During a Sickle Cell Crisis, red blood cells can get stuck in blood vessels, shutting off blood flow and oxygen.  One course of treatment is a blood transfusion.  In order to have the supply of blood that our local patients need, we need to have donors willing to roll up their sleeves!  For more information about Sickle Cell please contact Sherri Glenn at 704-972-4728 or email her at sglenn@cbcc.us.

Interested in donating blood, but think you can’t because you just got a tattoo? What if you have allergies, can you still donate blood? Here are some facts about blood donation to help clear up some common myths about eligibility!

Allergies: You can donate if allergies are under control with no symptoms.

Antibiotics for infections: Antibiotics course is completed at least 24 hours prior to donation and you are symptom free.

Athletics: You should avoid strenuous activities for at least 3 – 5 hours after donating.

Blood transfusions: Wait one year.

Cold, flu, sore throat, fever: Wait until you are feeling better.

Cancer Survivor: Some cancer survivors may donate blood. Please call CBCC, 704-972-4723, for more information.

Dental visit: Wait 72 hours after major dental work. There is no wait after a routine cleaning or filling.

Diabetic on insulin: Acceptable.

Ear or skin piercing: No deferral if pierced using single-use/disposable equipment.

Piercing by any other method: Wait one year.

Meals: You should not skip meals prior to donating blood.

Pregnancy: Wait six weeks after delivery, or one year if delivery required blood transfusion.

Surgery: Wait for release from doctor’s care if you did not receive any blood products. If you received blood, wait one year from date of transfusion.

Tattoo: There is no deferral for tattoos done at a licensed facility with a single use needle.

Platelets aid in the clotting process and are used to treat cancer, transplant and cardiovascular patients. The platelet (apheresis) process is an automated collection process that can only be performed in one of our donor centers as it requires a slightly longer time commitment and different process than whole blood.  These products have only a 5 day shelf life so we need the support of local donors on a consistent basis to ensure there is fresh product available every day for the patients of our community. Platelet donors can give every 14 days, as many as 24 times in one year! The need for platelets is far greater than you may expect. In fact, nearly 800 platelet products are needed each month to support local patients.

Donors who are A+, B+ or AB+ are especially encouraged to donate platelets; particularly those with CMV negative blood. A+ and B+ donors are asked because their platelets are compatible with nearly 80% of the population. Donors who are AB+ and CMV negative are needed to donate platelets because their blood can be used in the treatment of premature and newborn babies. This supports the development of their lungs until they can breathe on their own. Ideally, we need at least five donations of this type available every day.

Similar to whole blood donation, donors will fill out a health history form and complete a mini-physical, and then we’ll check their platelet count. From there, an automated machine collects the platelets and plasma while returning red cells. Then, donors can enjoy one of our yummy snacks (we have special snacks, including ice cream, at our centers). Platelets are a specialty product, and our local hospitals require more than 500 platelet products each month. Platelets must be donated in one of our blood donation centers located in Charlotte, Concord or Gastonia. If you’re interested in learning more about donating platelets, contact Theresa Anzelone, Manager of Specialty Donor Programs, at 704-972-4729.