The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), in conjunction with America's Blood Centers (ABC)and American Red Cross (ARC), is celebrating National Volunteer Blood Donor Month 2005 to encourage donors to give or pledge to give blood. The theme for this year's campaign is, once again, "Give Blood…The Gift of Life.”
Every day in our country, approximately 38,000 units of blood are required in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities for patients with cancer and other diseases, for organ transplant recipients, and to help save the lives of accident victims. Blood Assurance’s goal is to help ensure that blood is available to patients whenever and wherever it is needed.
Donors must be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and meet other donor requirements to donate blood.
Those interested in donating blood locally should contact the regional blood center, Blood Assurance, at (423) 756-0966 or 1-800-962-0628.
Locally, it takes over 333 volunteer blood donors everyday to meet the needs of patients at the area hospitals.
Blood Assurance is a member of the American Association of Blood Banks – an international association of blood banks, including hospital and community blood centers, transfusion and transplantation services and individuals involved in activities related to transfusion and transplantation medicine – and America’s Blood Centers, an international network of community blood centers that provide nearly half of the U.S. volunteer blood supply. Blood Assurance serves over 30 hospitals in 29 counties across parts of Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama.