Surf City gives

Jenny Marder

Huntington Beach is out for blood, and it’s doing a good job getting

it.

Surf City residents donate about 5,000 pints of blood per year,

placing them among the top donors in Orange County, said Cliff

Numark, director of donor recruitment at the Red Cross.

This is no small feat in an area where blood is scarce and in high

demand. While in some parts of the country, as much as 5% of the

population donates blood, the blood donation rate in Southern

California is only 2%.

Every Monday, a bus known as the bloodmobile parks at Magnolia

Street and Hamilton Avenue. Anyone in good health who weighs more

than 110 pounds and is older than 17 is eligible to donate one pint

of blood.

“This site is consistently busy,” Red Cross mobile operator David

Davidson said. “The donors are very dedicated. They’ll come rain or

shine. They’re very loyal.”

Valerie Simmons, a 54-year-old A-positive Huntington Beach

resident, frequents the bloodmobile about five times a year.

“It lifts your serotonin to do something good for somebody,”

Simmons said. “I hope this is going to somebody who needs it.”

The bus hosts a constant stream of donors, about 50 every week,

said Sharri Genes, the team supervisor and a registered nurse.

“They come before we start and keep coming all day long,” she

said.

Donors must undergo a small physical exam in which their blood

pressure and iron levels are measured.

“Basically, you walk in, we give you some material to read and

talk about whether you’re eligible to donate,” Numark said. “You

register, go into the bus, lay down and give the gift of life.”

After giving blood, they are encouraged to rest for about 15

minutes in a room, called the canteen.

The blood is transported to a Red Cross processing facility, where

it is separated into its three components; red blood cells, plasma

and platelets.

“From there, we go and test the blood to make sure it’s safe, and

when the blood is deemed safe, we distribute it to the hospitals,”

Numark said.

It’s critical to the region that more people volunteer to donate

blood, Numark said.

“When there is a shortage nationally, as there was in December,

Southern California suffers significantly,” he said. “In order to

prevent these things from happening, what we need to do is to have

these people give blood, and more often.”

The standard amount of blood drawn is one pint. People usually

have between 10 and 12, Numark said.

“We’ve got plenty to give,” he said.