As we mentioned yesterday, the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is still in dire need of whole blood and platelets to replenish their depleted supplies. Yesterday, they were able to send eight units of blood (that's 3,660ml!) to an emergency center in Galveston, but eight units isn't much when you consider the sheer amount of people in our area who need blood transfusions.
Whole blood only lasts for 35 days (when stored properly) and platelets are even harder to store, with a maximum shelf life of seven days, so the Blood Center needs constant donations to keep a fresh supply on hand for sick and injured patients. So get out there and donate a pint of blood (and a mere hour of your time) to help out those in need!
Neighborhood blood donation centers will keep yesterday's hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m today, but will revert back to normal operating hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday. The mobile donation centers will also be open today, but today will be their final day in operation.
Remember that anyone over the age of 17, who is at least 110 pounds and in good health (or 16-year-olds who are at least 122 pounds and who have their parents' permission), can donate blood. For more information, visit www.giveblood.org or call the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center at 1.888.482.5663.
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Photo courtesy of Flickr user Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.
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