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DONATE PLATELETS
Just 3 percent of the U.S.
population donates blood
each year, according to
the American Red Cross.
Platelets, tiny cell fra g-
ments found in the blood-
stream that aid clotting,
are a key treatment for
cancer patients and trau-
ma victims, but they make
up less than 1 percent of
total blood volume. Unlike
blood, which has about a
42-day shelf life, platelets
expire after just 5, mean-
ing supplies run danger-
ously low during holidays
and long weekends.WHEN TO DO IT There’s
no time like the present.
Don’t wait for an accident
to donate, says Pampee
Young , MD, PhD, chief
medical officer at the
American Red Cross.
“What truly saves people
is what’s on the shelf, not
what comes in at the mo-
ment of a disa ster,” she
says. Donation rates are
particularly low during
warm-weather months
since people are vacation-
ing, so consider doing it
in the summer.HOW TO DO IT You’ll
need to make an appoint-
ment at a participating
American Red Cross loca-
tion, as not every center
(or blood drive) is
equipped to draw plate-
lets. While typical blood
donations take about an
hour, a platelet donation
is more specialized and
can take up to three
hours—one reason finding
donors can be so chal-
lenging. But because
you’re specifically giving
only platelets during the
draw (and not the typical
473 milliliters of blood),
you’re less likely to feel
woozy afterward. (A major
plus!) And you can donate
platelets up to 24 times a
year, compared with just 6
for regular donation.First, check your local
laws to see if Narcan is ac-
cessible without a prescrip-
tion in your area (it is in
most states). The drug is
also covered by many
insurance providers and
often given out free at com-
munity training programs.
(Mautte says the four-milli-
gram nasal spray version is
one of the easiest to use.)
How it works on the body:
“When the brain floods
with opioids, the drive to
breathe is diminished
within a one- to three-hourperiod,” she says. Narcan
reverses these effects,
restoring breathing and
buying time to get help for
the person who needs it.WHEN TO DO IT Look for
the biggest overdose clues:
very shallow breathing
or none at all, bluish skin,
and/or gurgling.HOW TO DO IT Make sure
the person is lying faceup
with their head tilted back.
Use one hand to support
their neck, and with theother, insert the nozzle into
their nostril until your fin-
gers touch their nose. Press
the plunger to administer
the drug. If they don’t re-
spond, give a second spray
in the other nostril. Once
they rouse, turn them onto
their side, as they may vom-
it. Medical care is essential
as a next step. (One note:
If you know how to give
rescue breaths, you can
perform two before using
the spray—and also after-
ward, if they haven’t start-
ed breathing again.)STOP AN OVERDOSE
Obvious yet
key: Dialing
911 is step one
in any crisis.