BLOOD ASSURANCE IS IN CRITICAL NEED
Blood Assurance is in critical need of blood donations at this time. Donations have been down since January and the need has gone from urgent to critical. Blood Assurance, which is the supplier of blood products to St. Thomas DeKalb Hospital, is asking everyone to please come out and donate blood.
“We have been experiencing a shortage of blood for a few weeks now,” said Dr. Elizabeth Culler, medical director at Blood Assurance. “Patients in our local hospitals count on donated blood every day. They urgently need donors to come out as soon as possible because the supply of O positive, O negative, A negative, A positive, and B negative is critically low.
Each donation of blood contains plasma, red blood cells and platelets that can be used to save up to three lives. Patients undergoing surgery, receiving cancer treatment or organ transplants rely on donated blood, in addition to the unexpected traumas seen at hospitals on a daily basis. All blood used at hospitals is given by volunteer donors only.
“Because we are in critical need, we are asking healthy donors to please donate as soon as possible,” said Jay Baumgardner, director of community relations at Blood Assurance. “If you are able to donate, we ask that you take 30 minutes out of your day to save lives in your community.”
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 18 years old (16 and 17 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating. To schedule an appointment at a donor center or blood drive near you, please visit www.bloodassurance.org, call 800-962-0628 or text ‘BAGIVE’ to 444999.
About Blood Assurance
Blood Assurance is a nonprofit, full-service regional blood center serving 51 counties and more than 70 health care facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Founded in 1972 as a joint effort of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, the Chattanooga Area Hospital Council and the Chattanooga Jaycees, the mission of Blood Assurance is to provide a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood components to every area patient in need.
