Blood type testing now offered as a wellness test at VMH
Laboratory staff at VMH perform blood type testing ... Veterans Memorial Hospital is now offering Blood Type testing as part of the Community Wellness testing program offered by the Lab. This program offers common lab tests at a reduced, up-front cost to avoid the high deductibles of some insurance companies. Other common Community Wellness tests include hemoglobin, cholesterol, vitamin D, potassium, blood glucose, etc. Blood typing is now offered along with this long list as another walk-in laboratory wellness test at Veterans Memorial Hospital with quick results. Pictured above are several of the Laboratory staff members at Veterans Memorial Hospital in front of the blood blank refrigerator used to store the precious pints of blood available for blood transfusions whenever needed. Submitted photo.
Veterans Memorial Hospital is now offering Blood Type testing as part of the Community Wellness testing program offered by the Lab. This program offers common lab tests at a reduced, up-front cost to avoid the high deductibles of some insurance companies. Other common Community Wellness tests include hemoglobin, cholesterol, vitamin D, potassium, blood glucose, etc. Blood typing is now offered along with this long list as another walk-in laboratory wellness test at Veterans Memorial Hospital with quick results.
Many individuals do not know what blood type they are. Hospitals and clinics may have your blood typed for several different reasons, but the most common reasons are the expectation of a blood transfusion due to anemia, leukemia or traumatic blood loss, or with a regular prenatal examination. Newborns also have their blood typed, but generally only when the mother is a negative blood type.
There are four main blood groups dependent on the presence or absence of two red blood cell (RBC) antigens, A and B. RBCs can have one, both or neither of these antigens. AB blood type would have both, and O blood type would have none. Along with these four blood groups is a protein called the Rh factor, which is either present (positive) or absent (negative). This makes a total of eight major blood types.
O positive is the most common blood type, and AB negative is the least common. O negative is the Universal Donor blood type because it can be given to individuals of all blood types. An O negative recipient of a blood transfusion can only receive O negative blood. AB positive is the Universal Recipient because that patient can receive blood from any other type, but they can only donate to other AB positive individuals.
Another great way to find out your blood type is to donate blood. LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa holds mobile blood drives in the area every month. Visit lifeservebloodcenter.org or call 800-287-4903 to find out more and schedule an appointment.
To find out more or to make an appointment for blood typing at Veterans Memorial Hospital, call the Laboratory at 563-568-3411, Ext. 494.
