Stop, Drop and Roll Up Your Sleeve

You may recognize LifeServe from the numerous mobile blood drives it holds annually in Pella. With an average of two blood drives a month, held in our community, LifeServe took note. Pella has tons of blood donors that selflessly donate each time a mobile blood drive comes to town. When the COVID pandemic hit these blood drives took a hit, and so did our blood supply. Blood donations soon took on new and even more vital importance. LifeServe knew they needed to shift how donations were collected. In the past, many mobile blood drives were held at places of employment, churches, and public buildings. With people now working remotely the workplace environment changed, but the need for blood donations didn’t. In fact, the need increased.

LifeServe shifted its mobile donation model and started collecting blood where people live versus where they work keeping two goals in mind:

1. Bring donor centers closer to where people live.

2. Embed staff in the communities

And so, the LifeServe Blood Center Pella location came to be!

So how do blood donations actually work? Well, here’s what we learned. The blood product, aka your donation, is collected and then sent to Des Moines for processing. Next, it is sent right back here to Pella! That’s right! Your blood serves your local community. Prior to the Pella location, blood drives held in Pella saw between 50-60 donors a month. The new location sees 50-60 donors each week! In the words of LifeServe President Stacy Sime, “ We knew Pella would be a popular location but we are blown away by the support at the donor facility here!”.

With all these donations it probably goes without saying that LifeServe is hiring! They are looking to expand their staff, fill positions, and open more days of the week.

 

The LifeServe Pella location is currently open:

Monday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Friday 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

LifeServe has partnered with the Pella hospital since the 1960s, and will soon be celebrating its 75th Anniversary!

 

For more information, answers to your questions, and to find out how you can save a life visit: lifeservebloodcenter.org and follow them on social media (LifeServe Blood Center ) to check out all the happenings.

 

Fun Facts about LifeServe:

– Life Serve only serves the communities where it collects

– Jaarsma donates fresh goodies every Friday

– The most common blood type is A+

– The most common blood type in Pella is B+

– They launched a “Thank the Donor Program” that anonymously connects the donor and person receiving the blood

– No prick hemoglobin testing process – you heard that right! No finger pricks prior to donating!

– Quick Pass is available so you can have all your donor questions answered before you step foot in the door to speed up the process.

– There are multiple ways to donate blood (whole, platelet, plasma, and double red cells).

– The most needed blood is O- followed by O+ – there is a national shortage!!

– O blood types are universal donors while AB is the universal plasma donor

– You only have to be 16 years old to donate (with parental consent).

– LifeServe offers a scholarship for student donors and the students are given a red cord at graduation if they donated more than three times.

– Less than 4% of the population are blood donors – so this is why – – LifeServe takes a rather zealous approach to contacting you about donating!

– Once you are in the chair donation only takes about 10 minutes.

– The shelf life of blood is only 42 days.