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Do you know the real value of blood for your community?
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital, Shannon Oaks Church host blood drives to help sustain supply
Placing a value on blood is best accomplished by imagining if blood was not available when you or someone you love needed it. Think about what that looks like: a life lost, a surgery delayed or canceled, trauma services not available, and even cancer patients without the transfusion support for the side effects of chemotherapy.
Blood has a limited shelf life; sustaining the community supply requires daily contributions from heroic blood donors that provide transfusion support for 600 to 800 patients a day in the North, Central, and East Texas hospitals.
For decades, the World War II era and Baby Boomer generations comprised Carter BloodCare’s largest donor participation pool, but these groups are aging. Everyone in the community must begin to look at blood donation as vital support for robust, high-tech medical care.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital is hosting a blood drive from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm Saturday (Dec 7), at 115 Airport Road in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information or to schedule an appointment time, contact Jacque Decker at (903) 504-0812.
Shannon Oaks Church is hosting a blood drive from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Sunday (Dec 15), at 1113 Shannon E. Road E in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information or to schedule an appointment time, contact Julianna Jordan at (903) 885-6542.
Eat a nutritious meal and drink plenty of water one to two hours before giving blood. Standard eligibility requirements are a minimum weight of 110 pounds, the donor feels well that day and presents a government-issued photo ID at each donation.
For more information on donor eligibility and to make an appointment, call or text 800-366-2834 or visit carterbloodcare.org.
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 180 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of north, central and east Texas. The non-profit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the most extensive blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 400,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage, and distribution of blood and blood products. AABB accredits the program, including a laboratory with accreditation for molecular testing of red cell antigens. It is licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is a member of America’s Blood Centers and ADRP.