Like strawberries, they are red. Like wine, they flow. They don’t come at a dinner table, but they nourish lives so. Blood is crucial to saving countless lives on a daily basis and that is why DLSU-D is advocating the value of blood donation within its community.
As Lasallians celebrate the season of love this February, the Lasallian Community Development Center is encouraging the community to share their love to the needy by donating blood through their regular bloodletting drive.
According to LCDC Coordinator for Health Irish Bautista, the center has established the Blood Donation Project since 1997 to cater to Lasallians in need of blood units during emergency cases. The program was established in response to the growing need for sufficient supply of safe blood following the shutdown of commercial blood banks in the country after the passage of RA 7719 or the National Blood Service Act of 1994.
In particular, the LCDC project, conducted in partnership with the De La Salle University Medical Center Blood Bank, provides members of the Lasallian community and its partners with their blood supply requirements for treatment, medical and surgical needs. Among the recipients of the project are students, alumni, faculty members, and their partner institutions/ communities/organizations. Friends and relatives of Lasallians and La Salle Brothers and affiliates are also eligible beneficiaries.
The availability of the blood supply has been acknowledged by the beneficiaries as a vital form of assistance, especially in emergency cases when time is of the essence.
Aside from augmenting the supply of safe blood for those who are in need in the face of a declining supply, the project seeks to promote voluntary blood donation by educating the public about the benefits of blood donation for both the donor and the recipient.
“Blood donation is safe and is done under the supervision of a licensed medical technician/phlebotomist. There is a screening process to ensure that the interested blood donor is qualified and in good health to donate blood. One would be allowed to donate unless he/she is qualified. Blood donation is good for the health and helps save lives,” Bautista said.
The project operates on a year round basis with student governments partnering with the LCDC to organize monthly bloodletting drives in campus. The Center even awards the college with the most number of donors with the Lasalyanong Sandugo-an Award to give credit for their time and effort towards the advocacy. However, the LCDC is urging everyone to make regular blood donation a habit. Even without scheduled blood drives, donating is quite convenient by simply dropping in on any hospital blood bank.
“Blood can’t be substituted for anything and it can help save lives,” Bautista concluded.