EMS students assist, participate in valuable blood drive

EMS students recruited other students, staff members to provide donations

The Center for Career Services hosted an American Red Cross blood drive on Thursday, Dec. 19 that resulted in more than two dozen units of blood being donated by students and staff throughout the day.

Students in the Emergency Medical Services program — led by members of the school’s HOSA-Future Health Professionals chapter — not only donated blood, they helped American Red Cross employees by serving in hospitality roles. They greeted those who arrived to donate blood, handing the check-in process, providing them with water and snacks, and sending the visitors home with t-shirts and thank you cards.

“All of our students in HOSA, they want to be future health professions,” EMS teacher Robert Del Greco said. “They really see the value in something like a blood drive and know how important blood donations are.”

Some of Del Greco’s students recently went around campus, room to room, and appealed to students and staff members, explaining why it was important to donate. Approximately a half-dozen staff members and more than a dozen students joined the blood drive.

“It’s one thing to get a flier. It’s another to get a personal appeal from someone,” Del Greco said. “Blood transfusions can be necessary for a number of reasons and there isn’t a replacement for real blood. The only way to have it is to donate it.”

Del Greco said his students earned quality real-life experience during the event. He equated it to working in a medical office for the day, with his students providing valuable support for American Red Cross staff.