HOSA hosted a school-wide blood drive April 8 benefitting The Blood Center of Central Texas.

“This was my first time donating blood, but it’s always good to try something new,” senior donor Jeremy Lee said. “Drawing blood hurt a tiny bit when the needle went in but other than that it was efficient. It only took five minutes to have a pint of blood drawn out for me.”

Through flyers, announcements, and encouragement in health science classes, the drive was successful as all 44 slots on the signup sheet were taken. Each participant was offered a cookie and T-shirt by the organization in gratitude of their donation.

Donors were escorted by select students from the CNA and senior practicum classes to a truck decorated with cartoon images and designs. Within the truck, trained professionals drew blood from students. On average, each draw required 30 to 40 minutes due to background checks and the questionnaire regarding the donor’s health and environment. Once the blood was drawn, the donors were asked to rest for a while and allowed to return to class soon after.

“I thought it was very efficient in the process,” Lee said. “When I came in they instantly asked for my information, brought me to a room to answer questions, took sample blood and my vitals and then got out of the room to actually get blood drawn out of me. They made sure the process was safe and made me drink an entire bottle of water and eat a snack to make sure I wouldn’t be dizzy afterwards.”

HOSA allotted those who helped out or donated points for their efforts. However, many people helped out who were not involved with HOSA or the health science classes.

“Overall the blood drive was a good experience,” senior HOSA member Sneha Pradhan said. “Witnessing so many people turn up for a good cause was something that I had never witnessed before in a high school setting.”