Blood Drive at City Hall Today

Providence Health & Services is holding a blood drive at city hall today until 6 p.m.

The blood mobile has been parked at the steps of city hall since noon and has been accepting on-the-spot donors to give a pint of blood or receive an oral cotton swab test to screen for potential bone marrow donors.

Hermosa Beach resident Patrick Roe, 30, said he donates his blood every 56 days, which is the minimum amount of time that must lapse between donations.

"It's something that I really enjoy," Roe said. "I'm what they call a CMV hero. It means that there's a particular strain of flu virus that I've never been exposed to so my blood goes straight to babies, elderly patients and cancer patients."

The procedure takes less than 25 minutes — from paperwork to juice and cookies.

"It's not painful at all — there's a slight prick, but it's not bad" Roe said. "Then you just sit there and relax until you fill up a pint and then hang out and relax. And you get free snacks at the end! That's always good."

About 12 people have given blood today, including Hermosa Beach Police Officer Starla Smith. The numbers are assumed to be low because of fears revolving around needles, but the need for blood is greater than ever right now."

To quell needle anxiety, phlebotomist Grace Harris assures that the procedure is quick and painless. Referring to her ability to locate the best vein to draw from, Harris simply stated, "I'm the best."