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Blood Donors

Jenna Patterson

Enjoying the Perks: How to Help Donors Take Advantage of Loyalty Programs

As much as I hate how high gas prices are this summer, I love when I can pull into a gas station, swipe my customer loyalty card and save $0.40 per gallon. All this simply for shopping at their grocery store from time to time. When I fill up my 13-gallon tank, that’s over $5 that I can save for lunch or one of those extra-fancy coffees. About a month ago, I even won free lunch for a week from a different gas station, all because I swiped my customer loyalty card when I filled up. That’s a pretty good deal I must say!

Blood donor loyalty programs work the same way.

Donors get special perks just for being members. The more they donate, the more perks they are able to receive. By using this information in your phone calls, you can educate donors on the many benefits they can receive just for donating blood!

Here are a few specific ways to do this successfully:

  • Know the program. Product knowledge is crucial. If you know the program’s ins and outs, you can better explain it to the donor. How do they sign up? How do the donor loyalty points work, and what can they be used for? Aside from points, are there additional perks, such as wellness checks?
  • Stay up-to-date with promotions and bonus points. Who doesn’t love bonus points? If there is a new promotion for the donor to take advantage of, tell them about it! If they can earn bonus points for scheduling and keeping their appointment, tell them! If they get a free t-shirt for donating this weekend, tell them!

  • Educate every donor you speak with. Every time I buy groceries, the cashier tells me my current fuel discount and how much I need to spend to save even more. Every time you talk to a donor, you should do the same. Tell them how many points they have and what they can get with those points. More importantly, tell them how many points they will get with their next donation and what those points will earn them.
  • Customize the conversation. It’s impossible to share every program detail with every donor, but by understanding their interests and needs, you can talk about what is important and relevant to them. If you’re speaking to a high school donor, perhaps they’ll be interested in music gift cards. If you’re speaking to someone a bit older, maybe the advanced wellness checks are more important. If they say they aren’t interested in points or recognition, educate them on how they can donate their points to local charities.

Donor loyalty programs are constantly changing. There are always new promotions, new ways to earn points and new ways to redeem them. The key is to know as much as possible and educate as often as possible. If you can help a donor earn a t-shirt or gift card, or even win tickets to their favorite band’s concert, they will certainly appreciate it!

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Stephanie

Blood Transfusions: A Modern Marvel

Blood transfusions have come a long way since the early days when a serious loss of blood was almost certain to cost you your life. We take for granted this seemingly simple medical procedure, but if you take a second to stop and look at its history, blood transfusions are really a medical marvel.

The first successful human blood transfusion didn’t take place until 1667 when a lamb’s blood was successfully transfused into a human being. Up until that point, doctors had tried just about everything to help patients

An early blood transfusion from a lamb to a human being.

who had lost severe amounts of blood. Attempts to transfuse milk, beer and other concoctions were made and were nearly always fatal. Even after the first successful human blood transfusion, many patients still died from unknown complications.

It wasn’t until 1901 when the four blood types were discovered by Austrian scientist Dr. Karl Landsteiner these mysterious deaths following transfusions became clear. Six years later, Ludvig Hektoen made the suggestion that patients might be less likely to die during blood transfusions if they attempted to cross-match blood types between donors and patients. Later that same year, Reuben Ottenberg took that suggestion and made the first blood transfusion using blood typing and cross-matching between donors and blood recipients.

Not long after, there was another huge advancement in blood donations: blood centers.

Cook County Hospital: Home of the first blood center!

On March 15th, 1937, Chicago’s Cook County Hospital set up the first official blood bank, and it wasn’t long before others were following Cook County Hospital’s example.  The Irwin Memorial Blood Bank was the first community-based blood center and opened its doors in San Francisco in 1941. In 1947, the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) was established as an international organization dedicated to the advancement of science and the practice of blood transfusion. By 1950, there were 1,500 hospital blood banks, 46 community blood centers and 31 American Red Cross regional blood centers in the U.S. alone!

Nowadays, donating and receiving blood is safer than ever before. Each unit of blood undergoes about 13 different tests for infectious diseases before transfusion, ensuring that its recipient will be getting healthy, safe blood. We’re also not limited to just whole blood collections either! Plasma, platelet and double red blood cell (or ALYX) donations are collected at most hospitals and donor centers all over the country. Each different type of donation has its benefits to those who need it most.

Considering that 1 in every 7 people going into a hospital needs blood, we’re fortunate to have the technology available to ensure that our blood supply is safe and there when we need it. But we couldn’t do it without donors. So the next time you’re out and about and see a blood drive, stop on in! The need is constant and can really help someone in need!

What do you think is the most interesting part about blood transfusions?

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Brian

A Short Tale of Pride, Burritos and Donating Blood

It is always easier to talk about doing good or becoming great than it is to actually follow through with action.

Half of your recommended daily calories in a foil wrap.

Recently, my mouth got me into trouble, both figuratively and literally. I’ll start with a bit of back story. Chipotle burrito-eating is a favorite pastime of mine. Ask anyone I know if I am addicted to Chipotle, and they will probably tell you they have already tried to orchestrate a personal, televised intervention for me and my run-amuck affinity for football-sized burritos. About a week ago, I was provoked to complete a test of taste and endurance, as well as mental (and maybe even emotional) strength. That’s right, I was challenged to the Chipotle Burrito Challenge by a longtime friend.

To break it down, quite simply, the Chipotle Burrito Challenge consists of eating four burritos within twenty-five minutes and then proceeding to run a mile in under seven-and-a-half minutes. I gladly and pridefully accepted my friend’s challenge. However, since I only had about twenty bucks on me at the time, I was only able to get three burritos. Still, I figured I’d give it a whirl anyways. What did I have to lose? And to be honest, I had always wanted to be able to say that I did it.

I had not eaten anything since dinner of the previous day and with the clock striking one – and hastening the day onwards – I was feeling hungry. You could say it was with a sense of predestined victory that I gloriously banished the first of my foil-wrapped treasures to the depths of my stomach in a matter of sheer minutes. Even more astonishing was the fact that I downed my second burrito in such a furious fashion, that I even forgot to wash it down with my Mr.Pib. During the final feeding – about halfway in, to be exact – my body started to tell me this might not have been such a good idea. But with pride on the line, I could only think of what that guy on Man vs. Food must feel like sometimes. Relentlessly, I charged on and finished all three burritos in under twenty-two minutes.

The hard part came when it was time to run on the local walking track in my town, affectionately called “the Green Mile.” The Green Mile is a winding paved trail that is about a half-mile long, meaning that I would have to run around twice in under seven-and-a-half minutes. Upon arrival, and without time wasted, I started on my trek down the trail. At this point, I could feel the trio of burritos and Mr.Pib sloshing around in my stomach with every stride, and I quickly cramped up. Pushing myself – though turning green, as well – I wanted to finish. Heck, I still had my pride on the line. However, to end the story on a predictable note, I made it almost one lap through the Green Mile before “re-tasting” my three-burrito meal. Call me crazy, but one of the few regrets I have about failing the challenge was that I ordered three of the same burritos and not three different ones.

What does this have to do with donating blood? And why would someone ever attempt something like that in the first place?

Well, why did Sir Edmund Hillary climb Mount Everest? Why did Willy Wonka create the everlasting Gobstopper? Why did Forrest Gump run across America? The answer is all the same: to say they did something great. Well, come to think of it, Forrest really did just like to run. Nonetheless, it’s usually with a glorious prevision of future accomplishment that people set out to do monumental and awesome things. When it comes to donating blood, it is actually a very easy to achieve the same feelings and stature of greatness.

What keeps you donating?

I think it is easy for people to say they want to do something great or say they want to help others, but when it comes time to take action you hear nothing except the squawking of lame ducks who end up eating their words. Working at Incept, not only as part of the Social Media Department but also with roots as a Blood Donor Recruiter, it would be quite silly for me not to practice what I preach and donate blood as often as I possibly can (and I do!). It’s encouraging when I’m speaking with a first-time donor who is willing to donate blood for their community. I’m grateful to speak with people who hear the call to action and are not afraid to do something great.

For me, it really isn’t even the fact that these people are donating blood, but the fact that many first-time donors are simply willing to give it a try because they feel it is the right thing to do for their community and that I find truly impressive. Consistent blood donors are that group of people who do something great for others, instead of simply talking about it. Oh how I wish there were more regular blood donors in America.

Here are some simple reasons why you should be donating blood consistently:

  • A whole blood donation is one of the easiest blood donations a person can do
  • Donating whole blood only takes about 10-15 minutes for the literal blood donation; the entire process is usually only a 35-40 minute visit to the center
  • A whole blood donation has the ability to save the lives of up to three people
  • Donating blood is an easy way to give back to the community
  • Donating blood is beneficial to the body

The reasons to donate blood are numerous, and why shouldn’t they be? So the next time you are looking to achieve greatness – whether that be by athletic, academic, gastronomic or blood-donation-related achievement – remember to take action in your pursuit.

What are some awesome things you want to achieve? What keeps you motivated to donate blood?

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meredith

Clara Barton: Angel and Founder of the American Red Cross

Nowadays, when most female role models highlighted by the media are actresses and singers instead of teachers and nurses, it’s important to remember women like Clara Barton.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, when women were undervalued in the workplace, Clara Barton worked as a teacher, established a federal government office, nursed wounded soldiers and founded the American Red Cross. She was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” by the servicemen she nursed during the American Civil War.

Not only did she provide clothes, medical supplies and food to the front lines, but she also helped them write letters and prayed with them. After the war she helped thousands of families find out what happened to their

Clara Barton and friends, 1898.

loved ones by working for the Office of Correspondence. With President Lincoln’s blessing, she tracked down missing or deceased soldiers so that their families could know what had happened to them.

Clara went to Europe in 1869. It was there she learned about the Red Cross movement and its founder, Henry Dunant. After helping out the Red Cross in France, she petitioned the United States government to form their own chapter. Clara didn’t run the organization from behind a desk. She went with her disaster relief teams right to the sites of floods, hurricanes and fires to assist the victims.

Now, a hundred years later, the Red Cross leads the country in disaster relief, blood donations and wartime assistance – all thanks to the spirit, compassion and bravery of Clara Barton. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to found an organization or save soldiers in a war, you can still be a hero like Clara Barton by donating blood!

Who are the female role models throughout history that you look up to?

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Stephen Smith

One Year of Blogging At Incept | My Incept Saves Top 10

This month, it’ll have been one full year since we kicked off our blog here at Incept. In honor of this first anniversary, “Happy Birthday to the Incept Blog!”

On that note, I’ve decided to pick my top-10 Incept Saves blog posts and run them down. Here they are:

  1. “Blood Donors! Everyday Heroes Saving Lives” ~ January 2010, by Kathie Manchester
  2. “Why I Think Blood Donors Are Hip 2 Give” ~ September 2010, by Rebecca Crosen
  3. “Above & Beyond | One Blood Donors Story” ~ July 2010, guest authored by Dawn Lunsford (published under Stephen Smith)
  4. “So… What is the Power of a Thank You?” ~ November 2010, by Billie Johnson
  5. “A Sometimes Thankless Job” ~ August 2010, by Billie Johnson
  6. “A Day In The Life of a Bloodmobile” ~ November 2010, by Stephen Smith
  7. “The Price Of Life” ~ October 2010, by Rebecca Crosen
  8. “Blood Donor Recruiters: Talk the Talk & Walk the Walk” ~ June 2010, by Stephen Smith
  9. “The 40-Gallon Hero” ~ July 2010, guest authored by Dawn Lunsford (published under Stephen Smith)
  10. “How Sweet It Is! The Sweet Side Of Giving Blood” ~ August 2010, by Brian Dodson

So there they are, folks – my picks for the top-10 Incept Saves posts from our first year of blogging!

Did I miss a post that you liked? Which post(s) would you have picked?

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Stephen Smith

Saying Thank You: National Blood Donor Month

It was way back in 1970 when President Richard Nixon declared January to be National Blood Donor Month. I doubt he had any idea just how big of a deal it would become in the future for so many people.

At Incept, a huge portion of what we do is dedicated to having productive conversations with blood donors. We are a company full of people who cling tightly to a way of life that we refer to as “living the brand.” This means we talk the talk and we walk the walk. We are a company full of blood donors who are also blood donor recruiters. We have a personal tie to the blood bank community through not only our work, but also because members of our Incept family have needed blood transfusions. In short, everything we do has significant meaning (both to us and others), which is why we do it.

All of this matters because now the snow is flying and the temperatures are cold. It’s January again, National Blood Donor Month. So from everyone on our team, to every single person out there who has ever donated blood (or who ever will become a donor), we’d like to share these simple words with you…

“Thank You!”

If you are interested in learning more about donating blood, or would like some information you can share with others to encourage them to donate, please visit the American Red Cross website. They have plenty of great material you can use to spread the word about being a blood donor.

And again, thank you!

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Stephanie

From the Handy-Dandy Med Book: Vaccinations Deferrals

We've all had these days...

It’s that time of year.

Flu season is upon us, and it seems like nearly everyone has the sniffles or a scratchy throat. For everyone out there that’s caught this common yet uncomfortable nightmare, there are other hardy souls who braved the lines and needles to get a flu shot.

Truth be told, there seems to be a vaccine for just about everything these days. From the flu to strep throat, from tetanus to the infamous MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) we’ve all gotten, there’s a shot for just about everything to help keep us healthy during the long, miserable winter.

What about for those of us who are blood donors? Some vaccines will temporarily defer a donor for a short period of time.

Here’s a quick list of some of the most common vaccines and their deferral periods, courtesy of the Red Cross:

  1. Influenza (the Flu), Tetanus or Meningitis: The flu shot is probably the most common one out there, especially at this time of year. As long as you’re symptom and fever-free after the shot, you should be clear to donate. (Includes the Tdap vaccine.)
  2. MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella): While most people received this shot when they were children, some adults may have missed it and need to get it later in life. It’s best to wait about 4 weeks after immunization to make sure that you’re healthy enough to donate, since the incubation period for the diseases ranges between 12-25 days.
  3. Smallpox: Smallpox is a complicated one. If you’ve had the shot and showed no symptoms – skin reactions beyond the vaccination site or general illness – you will be eligible to donate again 8 weeks (56 days) after the vaccination. If you did show some symptoms, it’s best to wait until 14 days after the symptoms have cleared up, or 8 weeks after the vaccination (whichever is longer). If someone close to you, such as a family member or roommate, has had the shot recently, you should be safe to donate as long as you didn’t develop any skin lesions or other symptoms. Otherwise, please wait 8 weeks from the day you first noticed the first sore. Additionally, please be sure to make your phlebotomist aware of your situation during your exam, prior to donating.
  4. Hepatitis B: Believe it or not, as long as you haven’t been given the immunization for exposure, you will be safe to donate 21 days after a routine Hepatitis B vaccine. Please be sure to talk to your phlebotomist during your exam before you donate.
  5. HPV (Human Papillomavirus): As long as you’re feeling healthy after you receive your vaccination (ex: Gardasil), you should be just fine to donate blood the same day.

These are just a few of the vaccines that blood centers may ask about, but there are others out there, and some blood centers have different requirements. As always, please be sure to talk to your doctor, or the phlebotomist handling your health screening, just to be sure you’re eligible to donate.

With luck and a little help from the Handy-Dandy Med Book, you’ll be ready for your donation – ready to help someone who really needs blood. Stay safe and healthy this winter, and eat an extra cookie at the blood drive for me!

[Photo Credits:

http://www.helpyourautisticchildblog.com/category/vaccine-news/

http://www.paradisoinsuranceblog.com/

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/comic-relief/]

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kmanchester

Blood Donors: Everyday Heroes Saving Lives

What is a hero?

Have you ever thought about that? What are their characteristics? What is it that makes them a hero? What makes them different from you or I?

From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, we find the following:

he·ro - noun \?hir-(?)?\ plural he·roes

Definition of HERO

  1. A: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability; B: an illustrious warrior; C: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities; D: one who shows great courage
  2. A: the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work; B: the central figure in an event, period or movement
  3. A: an object of extreme admiration and devotion : idol

No matter how many times I looked up “blood donor,” it never said anything about being a hero. It typically said “someone who gives blood to be used for transfusions.”

So how and why do we view blood donors as heroes? Blood donors are not of divine descent; they don’t have great strength or ability; and they tend to be quite humble. They will tell you it doesn’t take a lot of courage – they just want to help others. As a matter of fact, blood donors come from all walks of life, all backgrounds and – generally speaking, are as ordinary as you and I.

So they have noble qualities, right? That has to be it. What else is left? So in looking up Noble, this is what I found (again, thanks to Merriam-Webster online dictionary!):

no·ble - adj \?n?-b?l\ no·bler no·blest

Definition of NOBLE

  1. A: possessing outstanding qualities : illustrious; B: famous, notable
  2. A: of high birth or exalted rank : aristocratic
  3. A: possessing very high or excellent qualities or properties<noble wine>; B: very good or excellent
  4. A: grand or impressive especially in appearance <noble edifice>
  5. A: possessing, characterized by, or arising from superiority of mind or character or of ideals or morals : lofty <a noble ambition>

This still doesn’t seem to fit. Ask a blood recipient and THEY will tell you a blood donor possesses outstanding qualities.

Ask a donor why he or she donates and they will likely never say because it’s the noble thing to do. The answers you will get most often are: “It feels good to know I am helping others,” “It takes just a few minutes of your time and you can help three people,” “It’s such a simple thing to do. I have good health and want to help others.”

Blood donors ARE everyday heroes. They go about their lives – in their quiet, unassuming ways – never thinking that what they do makes them a hero. They give because it’s the right thing to do. They give because they know they can help someone; because when someone they knew needed blood, it was there. Blood donors are caring, compassionate people. Again, blood donors are heroes.

We don’t often get the chance to meet such everyday heroes and thank them for what they do.

According to the AABB, someone needs blood in this country every two seconds. Each day, patients across the country receive about 39,000 units of blood. There are more than 14 million blood transfusions administered annually, given to people who are accident victims and undergoing surgery, as well as receiving treatments for leukemia, cancer and other diseases. Behind each blood transfusion is a blood donor – a quiet hero.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon designated the month of January as National Blood Donor Month. In his proclamation, he called upon the media, blood banks, medical health facilities and the public at large to pay special tribute and honor to voluntary blood donors during the month. He also encouraged, by all appropriate means, an increase in the number of voluntary blood donors. January was picked because traditionally it is a difficult month for blood collections due to travel, illness, school holidays and bad weather.

Although we do want to increase the number of voluntary blood donors, the first part of the proclamation was to pay special tribute to and honor voluntary blood donors. How can you do that? There is a saying that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” What an example blood donors set – why not join them?

If you have never donated, become a blood donor. January is a great month to start! If you are a blood donor, encourage others to donate or encourage them to donate one more time per year. Work with a local organization holding a blood drive and bake goodies for the donors! If you know a blood donor, thank them for their gift of life!

The Rhode Island Blood Center along with Dunkin’ Donuts will be honoring and thanking our blood donors all month long by giving those who donate blood during January (at one of our donor centers or at a local blood drive) a coupon for a FREE pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.

Blood donors are everyday heroes. Thank you to the countless blood donors in RI and across the nation! We honor and thank you for your gift of life.

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Stephen Smith

Saving Lives One Medium At A Time | The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center

[This post was written by Cindy E. Rodriguez, Public Relations Event Coordinator, with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.]

Since the start of our Commit for Life program in 2003, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center has established strategic partnerships with media groups, and even sports teams, to help us in our mission to save and sustain lives through blood donations.

We particularly sought out these partnerships around major holidays in an effort to maintain an adequate supply of blood and blood-related products when regular donors are on vacation, and businesses and schools are closed (not hosting blood drives). Just like “it takes a village” to raise a child, it takes many people and a variety of communication methods to spread the word about the need for blood donations.

As the saying goes: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. We use a vast combination of communication methods to get our messages across, including everything from broadcast media to print media to social media. Broadcast media partners provide us with “on-air” time, either as public service announcements or news coverage. We design custom print media, such as postcard mailers and other promotional materials that are disseminated to sites to promote blood drives. Furthermore, we have electronic media, which includes customized e-mails (per campaign), as well as general e-mails to keep our audience informed and engaged. Through these methods, we are able to reach out to as many people as possible.

However, reaching a large number of people is not always our goal. Sometimes, because our supply is ruled by the need in a given region, the key is reaching the right audience with the right blood type. Although everyone has blood, our strict guidelines make timing crucial when reaching our target audience. We use telecommunications to reach out to only those donors who are eligible – that is where our friends at Incept come in. They help us reach the right donors at the right time to maximize the number of lives saved.

So when one of our donors gets a phone call asking them to schedule a donation, we hope they know that they truly are needed at that particular time. Someone is waiting specifically for their donation. By using the right communication avenues, we hope to compel them to come in and save a life.

Have you answered the call for blood donations?

[To find out more about the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center and everything it does, visit their website at www.giveblood.org.]

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Stephen Smith

A Day in the Life of a Bloodmobile

6:00 a.m. – The garage door opens, and it’s time to get to work! There are lives to be saved, and I’m the right guy for the job! Okay, time for my checklist:

  • Gas up so I’m full
  • Cookies and snacks so the donors can stay energized
  • Water and juice so the donors stay hydrated
  • T-shirts and mugs so the donors know how important they are
  • Bright, multi-colored bandages so the donors can proudly display their selflessness
  • Make sure all my collection supplies are topped off (we’ll need them!)
  • “Blood Drive Today” signs

Check! Now, I’m ready to roll.

8:00 a.m. – Cruise on over to pick up my collections staff so we can go save some lives!

9:00 a.m. – Park the bus and get set up! The line’s forming and I can’t wait to open the doors and let the donors in.

9:30 a.m. – “Places everyone! It’s showtime!” Open the doors, get some of my donors inside and kick off the donating.

12:45 p.m. – Lunch time. My staff is doing great today and that line isn’t getting any shorter! We’ve got 15 units of blood on board, but there’s room for more!

1:15 p.m. – Back to work. Have to make sure the A/C is working. I don’t want my donors to be uncomfortable while they’re giving blood.

3:00 p.m. – “Okay team, we’re into the home stretch. Keep it up!” Almost done. Let’s get these last few donors in before we close up for the day.

4:00 p.m. – This drive’s a wrap! 22 units of blood collected. AWESOME! Let’s get this blood loaded into my transport van and head home.

4:45 p.m. – My staff did so well today, they deserve a treat. I’m pulling over to get them some ice cream!

6:00 p.m. – Back home in my garage. What a day! All those donors, so many blood donations. Lives have been saved, but I know there will be more to save tomorrow. The need for blood never takes a vacation, so neither can I. Just another day in my life. The life of a Bloodmobile!

Have you ever donated blood in a Bloodmobile?

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