Harvard Blood Drive News
Harvard Beats Yale! (February 2006)
Second Annual Harvard-Yale Contest (February 2006)
T-shirt contest (Winter 2006)
Blood Donation Info: Reducing Your Wait Time (Fall 2005)

Red Cross News
New Donation Process (Spring 2005)
European Travel Restriction Lifted (Spring 2005)

Harvard Blood Drive News

Harvard Beats Yale! (February 2006)

The Second Annual Harvard-Yale Blood Drive Challenge was a resounding success! Harvard beat Yale 528-520, to even the overall score at 1-1 (Yale won last year). Thanks to everyone that came out and participated--as the score shows, it was a close contest. Every single donor and volunteer made this possible.

Together with Yale we collected 573 units of blood. Because each individual unit can be potentially distributed to three patients, combined, we may help more than 1500 hospital patients across New England! This total collection is up from last year, when 564 units of blood were collected. So thanks again to everyone that helped the Crimson to rise victorious.

As a sign of good sportsmanship, the Dean of Yale College agreed to be photographed wearing some Harvard Crimson apparel! See the pictures here.

Read the official Red Cross Press Release here.

Check out coverage of the Challenge in the Harvard Crimson and the Yale Daily News.
Harvard Crimson: February 16, 2006, March 7, 2006
Yale Daily News: February 9, 2006, March 3, 2006

Second Annual Harvard-Yale Contest (February 2006)

After last year's successful competition brought the Harvard-Yale rivalry off the football field and into a blood drive, we are proud to announce the Second Annual Competition. Harvard and Yale will be competing this year to produce the most productive units of blood from their February drives. Last year Yale was victorious--don't let them win two years in a row. Come help Harvard take its rightful position in 1st place! Signup to donate or volunteer (both count towards a win) here.

T-shirt Contest (Winter 2006)

The December Blood Drive marked the return of the t-shirt design contest. Submitions will be accepted until February 1, 2006. Voting will occur during the February drive. For more information, including entry form and past submissions, click here

Blood Donation Info: Reducing Your Wait Time (Fall 2005)

Blood Donations can take anywhere from 1 hour to 2+ hours. Here are a few tips to speed up the donation process:

• make an appointment through our appointment system. Appointments do not guarantee that you will be called to donate for the exact time you make your appointment, since this depends on the number of walk-ins, but it greatly speeds up the process!
• come early in the week and early in the day if your schedule permits. Friday is by far the busiest day! If you can only come at busier times, bring a book or some homework, so the wait time isn't wasted.
• make sure you eat foods that are righ in iron to avoid iron levels that are too low to donate! A list of these foods is available on the New England Red Cross website.

Red Cross News

New Donation Process (Spring 2005)

The Donation Process has changed! When you arrive at the drive, you will receive a number based on whether or not you have an appointment. Once your number is called, a nurse will ask you a series of questions and administer a mini-physical examination. From this, you will go directly to the beds to donate blood.

European Travel Restriction Lifted (Spring 2005)

The Red Cross has decide to lift one of its travel restrictions that has previously deferred many people. Here are the new rules:

• Defer if donor travel or lived three months or more cumulatively in the U.K. (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isles of Man, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar, and the Falkland Islands) from the beginning of January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1996.
• Defer if donor traveled or lived cumulatively for 5 years or more in Europe from January 1, 1980 until the present (note this criterion includes time spent in the U.K. from 1980 through 1996); (previously a minimum of 6 months was sufficient for deferral).

What this means is that if you have traveled to Europe recently (within the last 8 years or so), without spending more than 5 years total there, you may donate! For more information, please see the Red Cross's full eligibility list.