Boone Memorial Hospital to hold Annual Winter Blood Drive

Boone Memorial Hospital will hold its annual Winter Blood drive on Friday, January 4th, 2019. The drive will be one of three hosted annually by the hospital. Other dates include May 17th and August 23rd.

“The demand is always high and it’s up to us to meet that demand,” said Boone Memorial Hospital CEO Virgil Underwood.

“Summer time and January are considered tough recruiting months for the American Red Cross,” explained Karlie Price, Marketing and Public Relations Director at Boone Memorial. “Therefore we try to hold drives in May or June, August and January, if possible. We usually meet goal and are successful recruiting donors so the Red Cross has come to count on us annually to help, especially during those hard times.”

The drive will be held in the Private Dining Room on the first floor of the hospital with registration in the main lobby. The hospital encourages employees to give throughout the day, CEO Underwood being one of those donors.

“There is no substitution for blood. It can’t be manufactured in a laboratory. You never know when you or your family will need blood so maintaining a supply of blood protects us all.”

The Red Cross is urging individuals to give as there is a shortage of blood at this time.

To find a drive near you follow these steps:

1) Visit: www.redcrossblood.org

2) Go to "Find a Blood Drive" box located on the top right-hand side

3) Enter zip code, 25130

4) Click on the Jan 4th Boone Memorial Hospital Drive

Facts About Blood:

· Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.

· More than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day.

· The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.

· The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.

· The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs

· Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of whom are African American. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.

· More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.

· A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

For more information about future BMH Blood Drives or to get on the hospital donor list contact Public Relations and Marketing Director, Karlie Belle Price at 304-369-1230 x5506 or kprice@bmh.org.

News & Events are regularly updated on the hospital website: www.bmh.org

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