March 25, 2011
On January 3, 2011, the State of Blood says this decrease in donation
Michigan
Michigan accepted its first sixteen year-
old blood donor. A newly passed state
Blood
law, part of the 2010 State Legislature,
HB 5614, has reduced the minimum
Now
age to donate blood. This
legislatioin was first pro-
Accepting
posed in 2007, and after
being in the works for
three years, it’s finally
Sixteen happening! Michigan is
Year
the fortieth state to
reduce its blood donor
Old
age to sixteen.
Over the past several years there has
been a significant reduction in blood
Donors!
donation from drives held by busi-
nesses and other institutions. Michigan
By Jaime Hoffman
is due to economic times. They rely on
high school blood drives to make up
this deficit.
Approximately 12 percent of
Michigan Blood donations come
from high school blood drives.
Michigan Blood estimates that
the new law will increase
donations by about ten to
twenty percent. They also
say that this creates an
earlier start to a lifelong form
of community service for these young
individuals.
With parent/guardian permission,
any sixteen year old that weighs at
least 110 pounds is eligible to donate
Sparks
blood. They must also fill out the first
9
time donor form/parent permission form
available at the donation site or online at
miblood.org
Gladwin High School held its second
blood drive of the year on Wednesday,
March 9. Of 145 registered donors, 90
were able to donate, including 55 first time
donors. Out of the first time donors, 47
were sixteen year-olds. When totals were
in, the 90 pints are enough to save 270
lives.
“I’m so proud of our student body and
their willingness to donate,” Coordinator
Jill Keefer said. “This was our best drive
on record, and I’m so excited to see us
beat that in the future.”
Check out miblood.org to find out more
about how you can save lives!