Hello friends, Vagney here. Recently, I was able to take a tour + learn about The Blood Connection Charleston (5870 Core Rd., North Charleston). While I couldn’t personally give blood, donating is a safe, simple, and effective way to give back to the community.

Due to COVID-19 related blood drive cancellations, fear of donating in a pandemic, and shutdowns in certain areas, blood centers have experienced difficulties with maintaining a steady blood supply. And with hospitals in “catch up” mode with surgeries, blood products are being used at a faster rate. This means your local blood center and the state of South Carolina are in serious need of blood donations, as well as platelet donations (typically used for cancer patients) and plasma donations (which help those battling COVID-19).

Bonus: Donating at The Blood Connection means you are directly impacting local lives (read: patients at local hospitals), including Roper St. Francis Healthcare, McLeod Health, MUSC Health, Trident Medical Center + Summerville Medical Center

Here’s what I learned + how you can #TryThis to help your neighbors.

Experience:

Donating at The Blood Connection

What we tried:

When you first arrive at the center, a staff member will welcome you at the door. If you don’t have a mask, you will be provided with a free one. Upon arrival, you’ll receive a temperature check and fill out paperwork, then go through a mini-physical.

MIni-physical before donation at The Blood Connection | Photo by the CHStoday team

Next, a team member will show you to a comfy recliner chair to start the donation process. It takes about 10 minutes to draw a unit of whole blood, and under regulation, the donation must be completed within 15 minutes. Depending on the type of donation you are making, this time can vary, but friendly staff members at The Blood Connection make it a comfortable experience (read: there’s Netflix).

Donors are permitted to remove their masks if needed during the donation process | Photo by the CHStoday team

What happens next:

Once the donation process is complete, you will be given a rundown on how to take care of yourself after leaving the facility, plus a packet of aftercare facts + tips. You’ll be taken to the snack area, where you’ll have your choice of chips, cookies, crackers, juice + water, and The Blood Connection staff will check on you to make sure you’re feeling fine (and enjoying the snacks).

Post-donation snacks from The Blood Connection Charleston | Photo via our #TryThis Instagram Story Highlight

After you have grabbed your snacks, you are officially done and have helped someone in need in your community. As a token of appreciation for being a donor, usually you will be offered a gift card or free t-shirt. Win-win situation, am I right?

DYK? The Blood Connection has 7 (soon to be 9) donation centers in SC and 3 in NC, home to our sister publications AVLtoday + RALtoday. Here’s what happened when Mary of AVLtoday donated at The Blood Connection’s Asheville center, and here’s what happened when Trevor of RALtoday donated in Raleigh (spoiler alert: he made friends with everybody).

Map of hospitals The Blood Connection serves | Image provided

How you can experience this:

You can book your visit online here. All you have to do is find the date + time that works with your schedule and you are well on your way to making your donation. You can also learn about the TBC Rewards program and Donor Portal here.

The Blood Connection is located at 5870 Core Rd. in North Charleston | Photo by the CHStoday team

Things to know if you go:

Experience: Donating at The Blood Connection’s North Charleston center
Website: https://thebloodconnection.org/contact/south-carolina-centers/charlestoncenter/
Address: 5870 Core Rd., North Charleston
Hours: Mon-Tues: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. | Wed-Fri: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. | Sat-Sun: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Ⓟ