Sheriff's Station Hosts First Blood Drive

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station hosted its very first blood drive for the American Red Cross in the station's parking lot on Monday. Each pint of donated blood can save up to three lives, said Mike McAdam from the Red Cross. "It's a constant need." he said. "It never stops."

That's why McAdam joined forces with the station to accept blood donations from local citizens for the emergency response organization. By the end of the day, the crew had collected 18 units of blood from adults, averaging about 40 years old. McAdam said that was a pretty normal pace for a drive like this. About half of those donors were personnel from the sheriff's station, he said.

"This is what we do," said Sheriff's Deputy Scott Rule. "You never know when someone's going to need it." Rule said he's a universal donor, which means his blood type is  the most valuable to doctors and hospitals trying to save lives. He said he gives blood about once every six months. "It's not hard; it's a piece of cake," he said."A lot of people can't do it, because they're afraid of needles."

Steve Siff, a volunteer at the sheriff's station, agreed that donating is an easy process. "Just a little nap," he said, smiling. "And they give you this great feast afterwards," indicating the table of Cheez-Its, pretzels, juice and trail mix.

McAdam said the blood collected from this and similar events serves more than 150 hospitals in Southern California. After being donated, the blood is tested for three days at a facility in Pomona, where it is separated out into red blood cells and plasma. Hospitals can then place orders for units of blood as they need it. "If everyone donated blood twice a year, we would never have a shortage," said McAdam.

McAdam said the sheriff's station plans on hosting future blood drives; however, no dates have been scheduled yet.