John Deere’s March Blood Drive Brings in 47 Volunteers

Valley City, ND – John Deere hosted a blood drive with Vitalant on March 2 at John Deere which helped collect a total of 45 units of blood products for patients in need.

A total of 47 individuals volunteered to donate blood and 38 individuals were able to donate at the Vitalant blood drive on March 2. A total of seven donors also came forward to donate Power Red Cells (2RBC) which collects two units of red blood cells while returning platelets, plasma and a saline solution back to the donor. There were five people who volunteered for the first time.

Vitalant expressed their gratitude to Tina Mougey, who coordinated the drive, and John Deere Seeding Group which sponsored the blood drive, as well as Justin Tabor and Lisa Lund, who both assisted the day of the drive.

Living through a pandemic can lead to many uncertainties, although one thing we are sure of, is that the need for blood never ceases. Blood is only useable for 42 days, so a constant supply is always needed, no matter the season.

Vitalant is currently testing all successful blood, platelet and plasma donations in the foreseeable future for antibodies to SARSCoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. If your donation is antibody positive, Vitalant can produce convalescent plasma from it to help COVID patients, additionally the remaining blood components will help other patients with serious medical conditions. Antibodies are proteins within plasma that help fight off infections. Because antibodies are part of the body's immune response and not the virus itself, antibody testing cannot be used to diagnose current coronavirus infection. Please postpone your donation if you are feeling unwell or suspect you may have COVID-19. Individuals must be symptom free for at least 28 days to be eligible to give blood. Learn more about finding ways to help patients during COVID by visiting vitalant.org/COVIDRescueTeam

Donors can make a convenient appointment to give blood at www. bloodhero.com or by calling 877-25-VITAL. With each donation, donors receive a free total cholesterol test.

Blood donation takes about an hour from check-in to refreshments. Donors can save about 20 minutes by completing their Health History Questionnaire the day they donate on www.vitalant.org/health