Blood Assurance will host donor appreciation days at its Erlanger and Downtown Chattanooga blood centers in October. Erlanger will celebrate on Wednesday, Oct. 8 and Downtown Chattanooga will hold its gathering on Friday, Oct. 10. Special prizes, food and recognition of top area donors will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at each location. The Erlanger blood center is located at 975 East Third St., inside Erlanger Hospital, near elevator F. The Downtown Chattanooga blood center is located at 705 East Fourth St., across from McKenzie Arena.
Blood Assurance President and CEO Rick Youngblood said “Our volunteer donors are heroes to hospital patients needing blood.
Those patients could not survive if they did not get the red cell, platelet or plasma transfusions our donors provide. They are truly saving lives every day, and we wanted to recognize their community service.” Blood Assurance will also host donor celebrations on bloodmobiles in the coming year.
Blood Assurance is a non-profit blood center that serves 47 counties in a 5 state region, and is the provider of blood and blood components for 70 healthcare facilities. Over 440 blood donors are needed every day in order to adequately supply the region served by Blood Assurance with lifesaving blood.
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.
If you would like to set up a blood drive in the Downtown Chattanooga area, please contact donor recruiter Amy O’Brien at 423-667-0719. For more information about donating blood, please call Blood Assurance at 1-800-962-0628 or go to www.BloodAssurance.org.