It was a busy week for Alberton Junior, Mackenzie Spence. In addition to holding a food drive, as part of her Governor and First Lady Youth Leadership Council project. Spence also organized a blood drive as part of her work with the National Honor Society. 

The American Red Cross bus showed up on Tuesday, Dec. 15, in the morning. It remained at the school all day, where 17 people donated a unit of blood. The entire process took about an hour to complete for each individual. 

Once donations are receive, they are scanned into a computer database, according to the American Red Cross website. The blood is spun in centrifuges to separate the transfusable components — red cells, platelets, and plasma. 

The primary components like plasma, can be further manufactured into components such as cryoprecipitate. Plasma and cryoprecipitate are employed in treating patients with coagulopathies due to deficiency of one or more coagulation factors. 

Red cells are leuko-reduced, a process used to filter and remove white blood cells from whole blood before transfusion. The reason why white blood cells (leukocytes) are removed from blood is because they provide no benefit to the recipient but can carry bacteria and viruses. 

After that process, test tubes samples of the blood are sent for testing. The test tubes are received in one of three Red Cross National Testing Laboratories. A dozen tests are performed on each unit of donated blood — to establish the blood type and test for infectious diseases. 

Test results are transferred electronically to the manufacturing facility within 24 hours. If a test result is positive, the unit is discarded and the donor is notified. Test results are confidential and are only shared with the donor, except as may be required by law

When test results are received, units suitable for transfusion are labeled and stored. Red cells are stored in refrigerators at 6 degrees Celsius for up to 42 days. Platelets are stored at room temperature in agitators for up to five days. Plasma and cryo are frozen and stored in freezers for up to one year. Donated blood is available to be shipped to hospitals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

One of the Red Cross nurses said that the bus used for donations on Tuesday is shared with six other cities including Helena, Livingston, and Kalispell. Next,it will go to Bozeman.

There is also an added bonus for students who donate.

“When high school students donate three units of blood, they are eligible to wear a red cord as part of their graduation attire,” explained Spence.