Thursday, June 8, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Eastsound Fire Station
— from Jim Biddick —
Please join us on Thursday, Jun. 8, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Station for our upcoming blood drive on Orcas Island to help prevent summer blood shortages.
Blood collections usually go down by about 15-20 percent during summer with schools and colleges on break and donors on vacation. Blood drives are also put at risk during the summer, since extremely hot weather can disrupt mobile drives at locations without climate-control.
The need for blood is often higher in summer from patients undergoing surgeries, ERs treating traumatic injuries, people receiving cancer treatment and surgeons performing organ transplants. It takes about 900 donors per day to maintain a sufficient blood supply for the 90 Northwest hospitals served by BloodworksNW.
Please plan on at least 1 hour for your donation appointment. The process includes a medical history questionnaire, a mini check-up, the donation, and finishing up with juice & snacks. Donors are encouraged to schedule appointments if possible, as this helps reduce wait times. Please be sure to eat a hearty meal at least three hours before donating, keep hydrated, and bring photo ID or your Bloodworks Northwest Donor Card.
To schedule an appointment, please call 1-800-398-7888 or visit www.bloodworksnw.org/drives, sponsor code 2650. Walk-ins also welcome.
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