Northeast takes 2023 Out for Blood championship

NEMCC, ICC raise over 114 units during Out for Blood blood drive, aid nearly 350 people

by Michael H. Miller

BOONEVILLE, Miss. -- (10/26/2023) — While Northeast Mississippi Community College and Itawamba Community College are usually rivals on the athletic field, the two schools came together in late September to make sure that the citizens of northeast Mississippi were well taken care for.

As part of the "Out for Blood" blood drive, the two schools challenged each other to raise the most blood donations and in turn, help out those who need it the most in the process.

Northeast captured the 2023 Out for Blood blood drive trophy, which was presented before the Northeast-Itawamba football game on Thursday, September 21 as the Prentiss County based school was able to raise 61 units of blood.

However, as with most Northeast and Itawamba contests, the outcome was close.

Northeast raised 61 units of blood while Itawamba was just a few donations behind with 53 units of blood.

In total, the two schools were able to help Vitalant collect 114 units of blood for the local blood bank and those 114 units are able to aid 342 patients at north Mississippi hospitals.

Itawamba had 47 donors who gave 53 units of blood while Northeast saw 59 donors chip in with 61 units of blood.

Northeast's total was helped out by donors showing up at Baptist Hospital in Booneville and donating there under the Northeast sponsor code instead of waiting at the donation facility in the Claude Wright Room of the Haney Union on the Booneville campus.

Just before the two schools took part in the Out for Blood blood drive, the American Red Cross sent out a call for donations stating that the national blood supply has fallen by about 25-percent since early August and blood product distributions to hospitals are outpacing the number of blood donations coming in.

Donor turnout has dropped on the heels of one of the busiest travel seasons on record, back-to-school activities and an active hurricane season. The national organization is asking anyone who can to make an appointment to donate blood as it works to meet the demand for blood products in hospitals and medical facilities.

Northeast and Itawamba were able to step up and fill some of the need by local healthcare facilities with their combined 114 units of blood.

According to organizers, every two (2) seconds, a person in the United States is in need of blood and/or platelets and approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the United States.

When a person donates a unit of blood, the blood can be separated into donatable parts such as red blood cells, platelets and plasmas. This helps medical personnel stretch the donations to help the most about of people.

Red blood cells are used in medical situations such as surgeries while platelets may go to someone undergoing chemotherapy for a cancer treatment while plasma is applied to those with serious burns or with severe blood loss.

While Northeast took the "Out for Blood" blood drive trophy for this academic year, the college will have two more blood drives during the spring semester. One just after the holidays in January and another deeper into the semester in late March or April.

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