Blood Donations Curbed At Schools

LAND O' LAKES - Bloodmobile visits to high schools in Pasco County are being limited because school district officials say some students experience adverse reactions after they give blood, requiring the attention of the school nurse.

"We have students who are getting dizzy or ill," Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said.

The time it takes for students and staff to go out to the bloodmobile, give blood, then return to their daily schedules also tends to disrupt the school day, officials said.

In the past, the number of bloodmobile visits varied from campus to campus, with some high schools hosting the bloodmobile up to four times a year. Now the district is limiting the blood drives to no more than twice a year with at least four months between each visit.

"It's a delicate balance with schools trying to preserve the integrity of instructional time and meet the needs of the community," Assistant Superintendent Jim Davis, a former high school principal, told the Pasco County School Board on Tuesday.

The school district's decision could have a significant effect on Florida Blood Services, which counts on high school visits for about 18 percent of the blood donations in the four-county area of Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee, said J.B. Gaskins, vice president of donor systems.

No other school district has scaled back the blood drives. Gaskins said he respects Pasco's decision, but he plans to try to work with the district to address the concerns.

"God forbid we are in a situation where we don't have the blood supply we need on a shelf," Gaskins said Wednesday.

School board member Marge Whaley said she would like the district to find a way to accommodate the bloodmobile.

Whaley, who said she has donated more than 2 gallons of blood over the years, questioned whether a significant number of people have adverse reactions. She said she routinely gives blood and drives home afterward, as many donors do.

She suggested students who become ill could be put on a list to prevent them from donating blood again. Whaley also suggested setting up bloodmobile visits at the end of the school day to alleviate the class-time disruptions.

"I hate to see us not do this," Whaley said.

Davis, though, said an after-school blood drive would still raise concerns about students driving to jobs or home after they gave blood, and principals would still feel responsible for monitoring the students.

Board member Cathi Martin said she, too, doesn't like the idea of restricting the bloodmobile visits. Martin said during one of her hospital stays after surgery, she looked up at the blood she was receiving and was unsettled to see it was labeled "paid donor," an indication of the need for more donations.

Board Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey, Vice Chairman Frank Parker and member Allen Altman, though, said they supported the staff recommendation.

"I didn't realize it created interruptions during the day," Altman said.

In Florida, 16-year-old students must have a parent's permission to give blood, Gaskins said. A 17-year-old can give blood without parental consent, though some school districts still require it, he said.

About 1 percent of first-time donors experience a reaction, such as becoming light-headed or dizzy or, on occasion, passing out, Gaskins said. Even fewer repeat donors have such reactions, he said.

Efforts are made to keep donors hydrated, and they are also given something to eat, such as pizza, he said.

Gaskins said there may not be a lot Florida Blood Services can do about the class time students lose.

"We don't want to herd them in and out like cattle," he said.

The high school blood drives serve a twofold purpose, Gaskins said. In addition to the blood provided, they also teach students civic responsibility, setting the stage for them to become lifelong donors.

"If my kids are donating blood and missing an hour of school, I have no problem with that," Gaskins said.