Blood Drive Brings Impressive Turnout
The organizers of a blood drive on October 3 to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina report that the Feinberg School event was a huge success. Forty-three pints of blood were collected from 60 donors, far above the goal of 34 units from 44 donors. “The number of people attempting to donate was so great at times that we didn’t have enough staff to accommodate everyone immediately,” said Mathew Philip, who with Ethan Molitch-Hou and Arjun Venkatesh were the primary student coordinators of the event. “One of the Red Cross staff coordinators said this was one of the most successful drives the Red Cross had in the area.”
Each unit of blood is separated into three components—plasma, platelets, and red blood cells—which means the blood collected during the drive may impact the lives of nearly 130 people. Nalini M. Rajamannan, MD, assistant professor of medicine, contacted the Red Cross and oversaw the planning of the blood drive. The Northwestern Medical Women Faculty Organization contributed by renting space at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to hold the blood drive.