William Penn High School’s two-day blood drive is underway.
It's needed as there’s a blood shortage in Delaware and nationwide, and that has been the case since COVID.
"We run the largest blood drive in the state of Delaware. We are the biggest outreach to the Allied Health community, and we pull about 140 donors every year,” said Slama. “So, they're drawing whole blood, they're drawing double red blood cells and saving lives."
That’s Amy Slama, Allied Health teacher at William Penn High. She says the drive is fully booked, and they are still taking walk-ins.
This year she expects about 150 to give blood during the drive that ends Friday.
Slama adds it’s important for students to start giving now so it becomes something they do as they grow older, and blood is something that’s always in need.
She notes one aspect that the students get excited about is being notified that the blood they’ve donated has been used to help someone, and she says it also reinforces how important it is to give.
Saving lives is the goal, but Slama explains another big reason why it’s important to get students donating blood.
"Yeah, we have a nationwide shortage. So that is why it's so important that younger kids start donating, so they become adults who donate," said Slama.
William Penn High School students in the Allied Health career pathways program assist in running this blood drive.
