Blood Assurance, a regional non-profit blood center, asks the public to gift the gift of life this holiday season. These Blood Assurance locations will be open on Wednesday, Dec. 24 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Cleveland, Cookeville, Downtown Chattanooga, East Brainerd, Kingsport and Johnson City in Tennessee; Bristol in Virginia; and Cartersville and Dalton in Georgia. All other blood centers will be closed that day.
All locations and bloodmobiles will be closed on Dec. 25. Regular hours resume on Dec.
26. The laboratory and shipping departments are always open in order to get life-saving blood and blood components to patients in need at area hospitals. Blood Assurance serves 47 counties in a 5 state region, and is the provider of blood and blood components for over 70 healthcare facilities.
These public blood drives are being held during the week of Christmas:
Dec. 22
Platelets for Christmas at
Cookeville Center -
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Floyd Medical Center in
Rome, Ga. -
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Highlands Medical Center in
Scottsboro, Al. -
9-11 a.m.
Advance America in
Bristol, Va. -
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lowe's
in Kimball, Tn. -
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Walmart Supercenter
in Johnson City, Tn. -
noon- 5 p.m.
Cumberland Health & Rehab in
Bridgeport, Al. -
1:15-3:30 p.m.
Dec. 23
Platelets for Christmas
at Cookeville Center
- 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Floyd Medical Center in
Rome, Ga. -
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Jackson County Sheriff's Department
in Scottsboro, Al. -
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Heartwood
in Abingdon, Va. -
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Medical Center Complex
in Johnson City, Tn. -
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Fannin Regional Hospital in
Blue Ridge, Ga. -
11:15 a.m.-4:15 p.m.
Dec. 24
K-Mart
in Abingdon, Va. -
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Foodland
in Scottsboro, Al. -
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Dec. 26
Walmart
in Bristol, Va. -
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Bradley Square Mall
in Cleveland, Tn. -
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Pruett's Food Town
in Signal Mountain, Tn. -
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Quinton Memorial & Ridgewood Manor in
Dalton, Ga. -
noon-5 p.m.
Foodland
in Fort Payne, Al. -
noon-5 p.m.
Lowe's
in Johnson City, Tn. -
noon-5 p.m.
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. The process usually takes about 30 minutes and includes a complimentary snack and t-shirt. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids - avoiding caffeine - and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.
For more information about donating blood, blood drives or donor centers, please call Blood Assurance at 1-800-962-0628 or go to www.BloodAssurance.org.