Tri Star using 2.0 building to give back
CELINA — From the time the first shovelful of dirt was moved, Tri Star Career Compact had planned to use its new building as a hub for community service. And now, despite the best efforts of COVID-19, it’s getting a chance to serve that purpose by hosting a blood drive on Oct. 12.
“We want to use this facility for more than just a school,” said Tri Star Director Tim Buschur. “We knew there was a shortage of blood with all the stuff that’s going on so we saw this as a great way to give back to the community that’s done so much for us.”
Buschur noted the plan was to have a blood drive this past spring but with the outbreak of the pandemic, that plan got put on the backburner until things stabilized. Then came the challenge of scheduling a blood drive while limiting potential COVID exposure for students and donors.
With Columbus Day falling on Oct. 12, students will not be in the building for the holiday and it was decided that would be a good day to hold the drive.
As of Friday afternoon, Buschur said there were only two time slots left to fill for the entire blood drive.
“Our community has really stepped up to help each other out and make this blood drive a worthwhile event,” he added.
Those who will be participating in the drive will be making use of the large building to ensure proper social distancing.
Donors will enter through the main entrance near the office and enter the commons area on the west side before processing through the Red Cross’ donation system. They will then exit through the other entrance to the commons on the east side of the room.
All staff, volunteers and donors will be screened for illness before entering the blood drive. Masks are required both by Tri Star and the Red Cross.
“It will all be one-way traffic and there is plenty of room for people to keep their distance,” Buschur explained. “We will have our med-prep kids here to help out that day but hopefully once things get back to normal, we can have one when all the kids are here so they can donate too. Because we’re a school full of juniors and seniors, almost all of our kids would be eligible if they wanted to donate.”
To be a blood donor, the American Red Cross requires donors to be at least 17 years old, in good health and of a certain weight based on donor height. Donor blood is tested for a variety of ailments prior to its distribution to patients. Included in that battery of tests, a COVID antibody test is also conducted on every donor.
“Donations will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies using samples obtained at the time of donation and sent to a laboratory where samples will undergo routine screening and infectious disease testing,” the Red Cross website states. “If your antibody test result is positive, the plasma from your blood donation may be processed into a convalescent plasma product to help patients battling the virus.
“You may also be contacted about participating in research studying those individuals with positive results.”
To be eligible for convalescent plasma donation, a patient must be fully recovered from a verified COVID infection. Individuals who believe they may be ill with COVID-19 should not donate until they are symptom free for 14 days and feeling well and healthy.