Donating blood is one of the easiest ways that you can give back. And it’s so important: every day, hundreds of hospital patients in America need blood.

Some people are scared to give blood, but you should know that donating is a simple, relatively painless process.

After registering and going through a short check-up to make sure that you are healthy enough to donate, the blood donation itself begins. The process consists of cleaning the area on your arm, inserting the needle, and drawing the blood. The blood donation process takes only about 10 minutes.

After donating, you can go about your normal daily activities.

Everyone can donate, as long as his or her blood is healthy, and it’s completely safe to donate. You can’t get HIV or other viruses from donating because the donation centers use sterile, one-time-use only needles.

This month, the Madison County Courthouse is holding a blood drive on May 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Madison County Courthouse is located at 100 North Side Square in Huntsville, just a short drive from our office.

If you have questions about blood donation, visit the American Red Cross website, which has FAQs, eligibility requirements, and more.

Photo Credit: Flickr contributor, Charleston’s TheDigital