       
|
Got Blood? Donor Center Urges “Give
It” An
estimated eight million people donate blood in the US
each year, but the demand for blood is greater than ever
as the nation’s supply needs constant replenishment.
Every three seconds,
someone needs blood, and every day, approximately 40,000
units of blood are used throughout the country, according
to the American Association of Blood Banks. More than 23
million units of blood and blood components are
transfused each year. However, less than five percent of
healthy Americans eligible to give blood actually donate
each year.
The UCSF Stanford
Healthcare Blood Donor Center has joined with the
American Association of Blood Banks and other blood
centers across the country in celebrating January’s
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month by honoring past and
present blood donors, and encouraging new donors.
The Blood Donor Center,
located at 505 Parnassus Ave, Room L131, encourages
regular blood donations from healthy first-time and
repeat donors. The Center’s hours are Monday-Friday,
8 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Stop by at your convenience; no appointment is needed. Or
for information, call 476-6989.
For those unable to come
to the Center, a campus blood drive will be held on
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Millberry Union
Conference Center.
The Blood Donor Center
offers the following reasons to donate blood:
- It is safe. The US
Surgeon General and all medical authorities agree
that it is not possible to catch any disease by
giving blood.
- It is easy. Following
registration, you will answer simple medical
history questions and receive a mini-physical.
Then, you will roll up your sleeve. You will feel
only a brief pinch, and the donation will last
5-8 minutes. Afterward, you can relax for a few
minutes with refreshments. The entire process
takes approximately half-a-hour
- Saving lives. You
will be helping children and adults. Because
donations are processed into a variety of blood
components, each donation can save the life of as
many as four people –- people with leukemia,
cancer, anemia, severe burns, hemophilia and
those undergoing surgery for illness or injury.
Recipients of organ transplants often require
dozens of blood donations.
- Helping yourself:
Your free mini-physical gives you a check for
anemia, plus your body temperature, pulse and
blood pressure.
1st appeared 1/5/98
RETURN TO TOP
|
|
