Boone Memorial Hospital held a blood drive Friday, June 5. The drive was one of 3 hosted annually by the hospital.
“The demand is always high and it’s up to us to meet that demand,” said Boone Memorial Hospital CEO Virgil Underwood.
“Summer time and January are considered tough recruiting months for the American Red Cross,” explained Karlie Price, Marketing and Public Relations Director at Boone Memorial. “Therefore we try to hold drives in June, August and January, if possible. We usually meet goal and are successful recruiting donors so the Red Cross has come to count on us annually to help, especially during those hard times.”
Chad Pauley, Donor Recruitment Coordinator with the American Red Cross was very pleased with the drive. “Boone Memorial Hospital always goes above and beyond to meet goal. They have a great set-up, are very welcoming to not only the donors but our staff as well. We truly appreciate the hard work their team puts forth each year.”
The drive was held in the Conference Room on the second floor of the hospital with registration in the Learning Resource Center. The hospital encourages employees to give throughout the day, CEO Underwood being one of those donors.
“There is no substitution for blood. It can’t be manufactured in a laboratory. You never know when you or your family will need blood so maintaining a supply of blood protects us all.”
The Red Cross is urging individuals to give as there is a shortage of blood at this time. To find a drive near you follow these steps:
1) Visit: www.redcrossblood.org
2) Scroll down to the “Find a Blood Drive Near You” tab located on the left-hand side
3) Enter your zip code
4) Click on the Drive of choice and register
Some Facts About Blood
- Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
- More than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day.
- A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. (2006).
- The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
- The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
- The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
- Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of whom are African American. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
- More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
- A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
For more information about future BMH Blood Drives or to get on the hospital donor list contact Public Relations and Marketing Director, Karlie Belle Price at 304-369-1230 x431 or kprice@bmh.org.
