Bad Dürrheim – The German Red Cross (DRK) is always pleased about the consistently good number of blood donation appointments in Bad Dürrheim. Of course, the number of appointments always fluctuates a little, or rather: they sometimes go up or down. But yesterday, Wednesday, 170 people had registered again.
Since Corona, blood donors are now required to register online. On the whole, everyone thinks this is a good thing. Blood donors know when they have to be there and can therefore plan their time better. On the other hand, the DRK blood donation team can also structure the process better. This makes the process easier, blood donors can plan exactly how much time they need, and in the kitchen – the blood donors receive a meal after “the work is done” – the portions required can be calculated more precisely than before. “The restructuring caused by Corona was not bad in all respects,” summarizes Anja Webs from Hochemmingen. She was part of the kitchen team on Wednesday.
The process for a blood donor is as follows: You register in the foyer of the citizen’s house. You then have to fill out a medical history/registration form. Privacy is guaranteed by separate boxes. Then you go on to the next station – a conversation with one of the doctors present. The number of doctors varies and depends on the number of registrations.
The doctors carry out a health check. This includes checking the hemoglobin level, blood pressure and current state of health. The criteria for donating blood are relatively strict. For example, a person who suffers from hepatitis or AIDS or who has visited a country in the last six months where diseases that can be transmitted through blood, such as malaria, occur is not allowed to donate. This group of people even includes people who have recently been tattooed, as pathogens could be in the blood from the tattooing process and the ink.
The process of donating blood is far from over. The donated blood is checked for exactly these things before it is actually released as a blood donation in whole or in part for a person. “Blood donations are always needed,” explains Barbara Staiger. She is the team leader on Wednesday and comes from Hardt. Contrary to what many people might think, blood donations are actually needed more for operations or for people with cancer, for example. Accident victims are not at the forefront. And yes – the number of donations drops during the summer.
On Wednesday, 170 people in Bad Dürrheim registered to donate blood. That is actually an impressive number. Not every place can boast that many donors. By the way, a blood donor is not tied to a location. You can donate blood anywhere, depending on what suits you best.
What many people probably don’t know is how the blood is used. It’s not just about attaching a bag of blood to a patient. Platelet concentrates, for example, are also filtered out of the blood and given, which is used to treat blood clotting disorders. What many people also don’t know is that the shelf life of the blood concentrates is actually very limited, namely four weeks in some cases. The donors therefore represent an immense life-sustaining factor.
save lives
Anyone who would like to register to donate blood or find out more can do so on the Baden-Baden blood donation service website (www.drk-blutspende.de). Information about the requirements and exclusion criteria is also available there. Brigachtal and Bad Dürrheim also work together on blood donations. The number of blood donors has remained relatively constant for years.
