Saving Lives One Mile at a Time
As blood transportation specialist, volunteer Ken Takata makes his rounds of blood product deliveries to hospitals throughout Southern California. Photo by Alice De Young / American Red Cross.
By Alice De Young / American Red Cross
When Ken Takata retired from the Hawthorne School District in 2021, he knew he was too young and had too much energy to enjoy a leisurely retirement. Having been an elementary school teacher for 23 years and a middle school principal for eight, Ken knew the impact volunteer service could have on people and communities – he decided to start spreading that kind of good around him.
Ken knew about American Red Cross relief services and wanted to deploy to help those in need following a hurricane in Florida, but Ken realized the timing might not work to help in Florida, due to the time needed for the onboarding process. Instead, he looked for other ways to volunteer with the Red Cross.
One of the opportunities he discovered was Blood Transportation Specialist in the Culver City area. The transportation specialist position is a vital role that requires volunteers to pick up human blood, plasma, and platelet donations from the Red Cross blood center in Pomona and deliver the blood products to hospitals throughout Southern California. This role is essential not only because of the cargo being delivered but also because the Red Cross is responsible for collecting and distributing about 40% of the nation’s blood supply. At such a high percentage from one organization, it’s no wonder more volunteer blood transportation specialists are needed throughout Southern California, especially in the Pomona vicinity.
Volunteers can sign up for two different types of shifts: STAT runs or regular scheduled runs. STAT runs deliver donations to hospitals for patients in immediate need. STAT shifts usually last four hours, with volunteers delivering to different hospitals throughout the LA region; the amount of deliveries can vary with every shift. While urgent, STAT shifts do not require drivers to rush to hospitals like an ambulance.
Regular scheduled runs send volunteers to the same seven hospitals to drop off donated blood products. Because of the number of deliveries, this shift is usually longer than four hours but more predictable.
I was lucky enough to join Ken on a shortened STAT run – it was a good primer on what the position entailed, and provided a first-hand view of the position’s ease; a very accessible way for someone interested in volunteering for a lifesaving cause.
Transportation specialists sign-in upon arrival, before loading their delivery vehicles with blood products destined to save lives at hospitals throughout Southern California. Photo by Alice De Young/American Red Cross.
Getting Ready
Despite being retired, Ken still has his hands full raising his family and caring for his mom. He knew the volunteer role he took on needed to have flexible hours that would work around his life and schedule. Especially when it came to being free to drop off and pick up his son from school.
The blood transportation specialist position allows volunteers like Ken to choose when they work their four-hour shifts. Kens shift starts at 11 a.m., leaving him plenty of time to get to the Culver City American Red Cross Distribution Center after dropping off his son.
Transportation specialists must arrive 15 minutes before their shift begins to prepare. The preparation process requires volunteers to sign in, receive their blood products and delivery routes, then the loading of their delivery vans. Before our departure, Ken inspected his assigned van assigned to us and ensure it was filled with enough gas.
“I can range anywhere between one to five deliveries per shift,” Ken said. “I really appreciate how the Red Cross makes an effort not to over-assign our deliveries so that we end on time.”
On the Road
En route to our first destination, Ken told me how his dad helped set him on the path of community service, emphasizing that the world can’t operate without volunteers. Ken’s career and motivation for becoming a teacher were also inspired by his dad, who was on the school board when Ken was growing up.Our first stop was at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center. We pulled into the drop-off area, unloaded a box of plasma and carted it inside the hospital to the blood lab. Ken shared that when he first started, the hospitals felt like giant mazes, but after a while, navigating the hospitals became easier. He shared too that the hospital staff are always grateful to receive the blood products and express their thanks to Ken.
“There isn’t a lot of glory in this job because it’s not really in the spotlight” said Ken. “It’s nice enough to get small recognition.”
Ken mused that the transportation specialist position is great for anyone who enjoys their own company, or has an introverted nature. Ken enjoys jamming out to his favorite music and listening to audiobooks and podcasts while driving from hospital to hospital.
“I’m usually a fast driver because of the nature of my deliveries, but I’m always trying to think, you know, safety first; somebody needs this blood” Ken says when describing his driving experience. “You just really have to like driving.”
Ken Takata has a lot on his hands with raising kids and caring for an elderly mother, but for a few hours every month, he makes time to save lives. Photo by Alice De Young/American Red Cross.
End of Shift
When we returned to the blood center, Ken showed me the end-of-shift procedures, which included cleaning out the van, completing and submitting paperwork detailing the deliveries and noting mileage driven, before returning the car keys.
I asked Ken if he was still interested in deploying on a national disaster. “For sure!” he replied. “I would like to do things that push me. I think, being in disasters and navigating them and how to help will stretch you physically, mentally, and spiritually.”
While the two-week commitment required of volunteers on national deployments might be more time away than many can afford, for anyone looking at other volunteer opportunities within the Red Cross, a blood transportation specialist is a manageable time commitment, all while bringing lifesaving blood products to patients in need. With flexible hours, a low monthly shift requirement and limited physical labor, this shift is accessible for anyone with a valid state driver’s license and three years of licensed driving experience.
Learn more about the Blood Transportation Specialist volunteer opportunity here.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/la.