Tomah Health and Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin have issued a special request for blood. The organizations have teamed up for a two-day blood drive on July 15 & 16 from noon to 5 p.m. at Recreation Park, 1625 Butts Ave., Tomah
While the need for blood is constant officials say it’s crucial to remember that hospital patients rely on the generosity of volunteer donors year-round. “Summer’s here, and with schools out and vacation plans in full swing, we often see a dip in blood donations,” said Versiti account representative Jackson Braasch.
Versiti reports that O negative blood and O positive blood inventories are extremely low.
Officials also announced that blood platelets will be collected on Wednesday, July 15 for any donors interested. “We have many patients who receive platelets at our facility and they can be hard to get sometimes,” said Kelly Baldwin, Tomah Health Lab director. “We give out on average 6-10 units of platelets per month,” added Baldwin.
Platelets, also called thrombocytes, are small, colorless cell fragments in the blood that play a crucial role in stopping bleeding when blood vessels are damaged. They are produced in the bone marrow from larger cells called megakaryocytes and circulate in the bloodstream, ready to respond to injury.
To Register for our July 15 drive (Wednesday), CLICK HERE
To Register for our July 16 drive (Thursday), CLICK HERE
To donate blood, a person must be in good health, at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and have photo identification. Sixteen-year-olds may also donate with parental consent. While the process for whole blood donation usually takes about one hour, the blood collection itself is usually about 10 minutes.
As an extra incentive, all attempting donors will receive a coupon for a free gate admission to the Monroe County Fair scheduled July 22-26 at Recreation Park in Tomah.
Versiti Blood Center is the sole blood supplier to over sixty hospital systems in Wisconsin, including Tomah Health.