The Northwestern Red Cross was forced to shut down its Fall Quarter blood drive Friday after an “unusually high” number of donors fainted within the first few hours, an official from Northwestern Red Cross said.
“I don’t think there’s any way Red Cross could have foreseen this happening,” said Jenny Yu, co-president of Northwestern Red Cross.
The Red Cross drive was the second blood drive last week – the first was a Homecoming sponsored event.
The blood drive began Friday at 11 a.m., but closed at 2:30 p.m. after four people passed out from donating, the Weinberg junior said. Another person started vomiting after giving blood.
Appointments later in the day were canceled, and no other walk-in donors were accepted.
Despite its early end, Yu said the blood drive managed to raise about 20 usable pints of blood.
She said it’s not uncommon for people to faint after giving blood; however, the proportion Friday morning was higher than usual.
Before donating, students were required to complete a questionnaire concerning their medical record and history. Donors had their temperatures taken, and their fingers were pricked to check their iron levels.
If any flags were raised during the process, students were not allowed to give blood, Yu said. She added that the people who fainted had been cleared to give blood.
Yu said the most common factors that precipitate fainting are stress, lack of sleep and donating on an empty stomach – all things that individuals have to bring up themselves during the screening process.
In the e-mail Northwestern Red Cross sent over its listserv Friday afternoon, it suggested eating iron-rich foods, staying hydrated and getting plenty of sleep before donating.
The group is planning to hold its Winter Quarter blood drive in February.
