Nurses General Nursing
Published Feb 26, 2003
vettech
188 Posts
Heya Folks,
My apologies if there's a better forum for this question.
Someone I know (from a listserv of Bearded Dragon owners) was one of the victims of the Rhode Island fire. She's alive but only just. She's suffered 3rd degree burns across 60% of her body, 1st and 2nd across most of the rest. She's in an induced coma for the next 3 to 8 weeks (according to the 3rd hand info I've been able to gain).
I was chatting with a friend in Michigan about Gina's (the victim) situation and told her that the I was going to donate blood for Gina. The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center allows you to donate in someone else's name. The recipient gets a unit of blood "on the house" for your donation. According to the GCRBC website, they will credit the donation to any blood center that is, like them, a member of the American Association of Blood Banks. As Gina is now at UMass, I'm assuming they'll honor the donation here.
My friend has become very active in the effort to raise money, etc for this young lady (a mother of 3) and she asked if the other AABB blood centers have this same policy. If so, she would put out the word to all those who know Gina so they could also donate in Gina's name. To date, she's used 15 units of blood, and that's not counting what was given since the last update I got on 2/24/03.
Now, here's my question - I've looked on the AABB website and found no mention of an official policy regarding what the GCRBC calls the "Individual Blood Plan" (i.e. the donation for another's use). Can anyone help me with this? If others around the country can help by donating, we'd really like to get the word out.
Feel free to email me privately
[email protected]
PS I'm sorry if I'm seeming selfish by asking for this for just one of the victims. I'm sure they all need our help, but Gina's the only one I have any connection to.
P_RN, ADN, RN
6,011 Posts
I know about "directed donor" blood. That's friends or family embers of a patient go to the Red Cross per surgeon's prescription and donate. The process takes 5 working days. I believe they are tested for type etc and if the blood is not needed for the patient it is discarded.....I'm not totally sure about that. I've seen donations from as far away as Michigan and Alabama come in.
memphispanda, RN
810 Posts
I don't think directed donation is what vettech is talking about though...Lifeblood here has a plan that sounds like what he is talking about though. You sign up for a plan, and however many units of blood are donated into your plan, the members of that plan can receive with no charge. You can have family plans, business plans, churches have plans, etc. It's a pretty cool extra benefit of donating blood. I have no idea how it would work when you are donating through one system and receiving through another though.