The St. Mary’s mobile blood donation unit was at the Colorado Mesa University Plaza on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Members of the unit anticipated 30 or more students would donate by the end of the three-hour stay.

The mobile donation operation is a regular sight at CMU.

“We come here every other month,” Cindy Scott, phlebotomy technician in charge, said.

The timing is set up so that students who donate regularly are physically ready to donate again.

In addition to regular donors, Scott said, “we like to encourage people to come even if it’s their first time. It’s very simple to do.”

Donation on Tuesday also came with the ability to win a prize. Donors were entered into a drawing to win an Amazon gift card as an incentive to give blood.

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CMU has been a regular stop for donation as far back as Scott can remember. “I’ve been with St. Mary’s for eight years and we’ve been coming every other month,” Scott said.

Though there are no plans for frequency to decrease, there’s a chance the bus may come more often to accommodate those who’d like to donate but aren’t on campus on the days it comes.

Not everybody who wants to donate is able to. Donors go through a screen process prior to giving blood and some are deferred. Sometimes travel destinations or tattoos outside of the state can lead to deferral. A common reason for women to be deferred is being low on iron.

All donors have to pass a questionnaire and a physical before they are allowed to give blood. There’s a twofold purpose for the screening: protecting the health of the donors and protecting the health of donation recipients. Once cleared, a pint of blood is taken from the donors.

While all blood types are welcomed and encouraged to donate, type O-negative blood is most sought after.

“O-neg is the universal donor, so we like to have the O-neg because that goes out in the helicopters and the ambulances,” Scott said. “If there’s a trauma victim that needs blood, that the first thing they give them. They don’t have time to test it, so they know everyone can receive O-neg.”

Blood donation of all types, and O-negative in particular, is a way for individuals to literally save lives. Scott said there is no substitute for blood. Since blood has a limited shelf-life, it is necessary to constantly replenish supplies, which is why the mobile donation unit regularly visits CMU and other locations.

The blood students donated on Tuesday may be used to save someone’s life tomorrow. Tragedy may strike at any time to anybody and the moments a student took out of their day to give their blood can mean another individual will not be taken way from their loved ones.

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The mobile unit will return in November for students to have another chance to give their blood and save lives.