Round Rock Edition | June 2023

NONPROFIT

TYPES OF DONATION Donors at We Are Blood have multiple options that go beyond a typical blood donation. The most common ways to donate are below.

Maximum frequency

Preferred blood types

Whole-blood donation This is the most common type of donation; about a pint of blood is taken from the donor’s arm.

Every 56 days

A-, B-, O+, O-

Platelet donation This type uses a special machine that extracts only platelets from the donor’s blood and returns the rest, resulting in a faster recovery time.

Donor Derek Haberkamp gives blood at the Round Rock center, assisted by We Are Blood technician David Stringfellow.

CARSON GANONGCOMMUNITY IMPACT

We Are Blood Nonprot medical bank supplies hospitals across Central Texas F ounded in 1951 as the Travis County Medical Society Blood Bank, We Are Blood has undergone several expansions and name are only part of We Are Blood’s collection eorts. Canedo said most of the nonprot’s donations actually come from mobile blood drives. We Are Blood partners with an array of busi- BY CARSON GANONG

A+, B+, AB+, AB-

Every 7 days

Double red cell donation This type uses the same technology as platelet donation to extract just red blood cells, the most commonly needed component.

A-, B-, O+, O-

Every 16 weeks

changes in its almost 70 years of operation. Nick Canedo, vice president of community outreach at We Are Blood, said the nonprot is the sole provider of blood, platelets and plasma for approximately 50 hospitals across Central Texas. We Are Blood has four Central Texas centers where donors can donate blood—two in Austin, one in Round Rock and another in Cedar Park. The Cedar Park donation center opened in 2022, a move that Canedo said is part of We Are Blood’s ongoing eort to keep up with local hospitals’ demand for blood. “The biggest part of our mission these days is keeping up with the exponential growth that we’ve seen in the Central Texas community,” Canedo said. “It’s up to us to ensure that we’re scaling our operations.” However, brick-and-mortar donation centers

nesses, cities and other entities to regularly bring blood drives to communities across 10 Central Texas counties. For example, the Pugerville Public Library hosts a drive with We Are Blood every month. Still, Canedo said it is important that We Are Blood continues to expand its physical facilities as well. He said the organization has its eye on southward expansion, bolstering its presence in the San Marcos and Kyle areas. As the demand for donations continues to grow with Central Texas’ population, Canedo said he hopes to show people that giving blood isn’t as scary as some might think. “It’s pretty painless and also really brief. … So it’s a small part of your day, and you’re making a real life-saving dierence for a patient in need in Central Texas,” Canedo said.

We Are Blood Round Rock Donation Center 2132 N. Mays St., Ste. 900, Round Rock 512-206-1266 www.weareblood.org Hours: Mon.-Tue. 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed Wed.-Thu., Sun.

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