Responding to Tragedy

Valentine’s Day fell on day three of annual staff training.? On day one I recertified in First Aid and CPR.? I believe everyone should have to take those classes.? One hopes they never need to use those skills; however, they may come in handy.? Day three is Emergency Preparedness.? In corrections, we deal with a variety of emergencies, and we need plans to help us navigate those emergencies effectively.? That day scores of people were converging on Kansas City to celebrate the victorious Kansas City Chiefs’ win at the Super Bowl.? Many of my co-workers are devout Chiefs fans.? Chiefs memorabilia can be found in offices adorning desks and walls.? On jeans days and Red Fridays, staff show their team pride with shirts in red and yellow.?

Some staff took off work to go to the Chiefs parade.? Many others had friends and family waiting along the parade route posting photos to social media.? Suddenly, a co-worker dashed out into the hall.? Her daughter was at the parade.? She told her mother there was a shooting and then the call dropped.? They were able to reconnect.? The daughter was near the shooting, but she was physically okay.?

Staff checked for updates and contacted their loved ones who had gone to the parade.? At work we respond to the danger.? We run to the emergency whether we are security, medical, or unit team.? Miles away, we could only make phone calls and watch the news.? One dead, numerous injured physically including children.? Countless others scarred mentally by the chaos of the day.?

I am a problem solver.? How could I help?? Our first blood drive of the year was scheduled for Leap Day.? I went to the store and found leftover paper hearts and heart garland from Valentine’s Day.? I pounded the pavement to fill all of the appointments for the blood drive.? I emailed the warden requesting permission for blood donors to be able to wear Chiefs gear for blood drive day to show support for Kansas City.? He approved the request.?

On blood drive day I spent half an hour in the cold and darkness planting blood drive signs along the road to the facility.? I sent a final e-blast reminding staff of the blood drive.? Another email to the captains and lieutenants requesting they relieve the following officers from their posts to donate blood.? Since blood donors are “souper” I bought three flavors of soup mix and asked three staff members if they would be willing to make soup for the drive.? For security reasons, a deputy warden has to approve large amounts of food coming into the facility along with a power strip, slow cookers, ladles, and other supplies.? My department camera has a facility identification sticker to prove it is authorized to be in the facility.?

Event planning in the community is complex.? Event planning in a correctional facility is more complex.? One of the soup makers had a family medical emergency and would not be able to help.? This led to a trip to the grocery store and an extra early wake up time to prepare minestrone soup.? Transporting soup is tricky.? I opted to place the slow cooker in a cardboard box on the floor of the front passenger side with a bath towel on top of the lid to help hold it in place.? In the darkness, I tried to navigate around the plethora of potholes that had cropped up during the winter.? KA-THUNK!? I grimaced and soon the smell of minestrone soup filled the car.? At work, I carefully pulled back the towel to see the damage the pothole had inflicted.? The special blend of herbs and spices had left a line along the towel and minimal spillage had occurred.? I gingerly shuffled across the parking lot with the soup to get it to the site of the blood drive.?

Working problems comes with the territory.? Donors get cold when donating Power Red.? Solution, bring fleece blankets.? The small radio the Red Cross brought could not get reception through all of the concrete.? I went around to different offices until I found an old inmate radio in Disciplinary that they were willing to part with for the day.? During a recent cold snap, I had given them fleece blankets to keep warm.? One of the pieces of gear I bring to the blood drive is a one-step stool.? Some short donors have difficulty getting on the beds.? The stool gives them a boost.? I used the stool to place the radio on top of a vending machine.? The antenna was a cord with a rectangle at the end.? I used masking tape to attach the end of the antenna to the cardboard box I had transported the soup in.?

The donors began to arrive.? When the donors completed their donations, I gave them red paper hearts to stick to the wall.? One unit of whole blood equaled one heart.? A Power Red donation received two hearts.? For those unfamiliar with Power Red, it is a process where the machine safely removes two units, worth of red blood cells from the blood and returns the plasma, platelets, and some saline to the donor.? It uses a smaller needle, and one donates every sixteen weeks instead of eight like a whole blood donation.? Some donors like it because they feel more hydrated with the return of the plasma and platelets.? There are eligibility requirements to be a Power Red donor.? For more information, go to Red Blood Cell Donation - Power Reds | Red Cross Blood Services

The donors enjoyed chatting with each other while donating and many enjoyed a bowl of soup before returning to work.? Some were willing to get their photograph taken for the facility’s Facebook page.? The social media poster created a video to celebrate the blood drive. Facebook Our blood drives are truly a team effort.? The Red Cross team, the donors, the staff that cover posts for the donors, the administration that supports the blood drives coming to the facility, it takes a team of people to make it happen.?

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion.? Yet only three out of one hundred people donate blood.? We had several first-time donors.? One officer admitted she had never donated blood because she was scared.? I could tell she was nervous when she walked in.? I told her to relax, have a seat, and read the educational materials.? Then I informed one of the phlebotomists that the officer was a first-time donor.? She gave me the all-knowing look of “I will take good care of her.” ?The officer successfully donated and hopefully she will be a returning donor.? It is all about supporting each other.? Whether it is literally holding someone’s hand during a donation, cracking a dad joke to put them at ease, or giving them something tasty to eat after their donation, I will do what I can to make things better.?

At the end of the day, we surpassed the goal of thirty-one units and collected thirty-nine.? Some could not make it, and some were deferred for low iron etc.? Hopefully, they will be able to join us for our next blood drive.? We never know when someone we care about will need a blood transfusion.? If you are able, please donate blood.? Over the years, the eligibility requirements have changed.? People that may not have been previously eligible may now be eligible.? The details are available on the websites of the Red Cross and Community Blood Center.?