Georgetown- The students in the Medical Assistant/Laboratory Technology Association, OR MALTA, the oldest student club at Delaware Technical Community College, Owens Campus recently hosted the Blood Bank of Delmarva and its bloodmobile on campus.
More than 108 people pre-registered which attests to the success MALTA generally has with its annual service project. At day’s end, 91 people were able to be donors. A total of 45.5 liters of blood, or approximately 12 gallons, was donated.
Linda Collins, medical laboratory tech and science instructor at the college, said MALTA has been spear-heading this project for many years as a way for the students to perform community service and spread awareness about the importance of giving blood to students, staff and the public.
Although students in the medical laboratory tech program are preparing for careers in clinical or research laboratories or in pharmacies, they do not take the donors’ blood; that’s done by the blood bank’s trained personnel.
It’s the students’ responsibility to organize the event and ensure that after the procedure, donors rest for a few minutes and have a snack. Being able to observe first-hand all aspects of the project throughout the day enables the med lab students to gain a more complete understanding of the blood banking process.
Statistics show that someone needs blood every two seconds. With each unit of blood being able to help three people, it’s possible that the day’s efforts saved 273 lives, noted Collins.
The Blood Bank of Delmarva covers the state of Delaware and into Maryland up to Cecil County.
