United Blood Services today announces the continuation of an urgent appeal for O Negative blood donations. As stewards of the lifesaving community blood supply, UBS immediately needs the help of the Brownwood Community. UBS should have 67 pints of O negative on their shelves but currently only have 4 pints.
O Negative blood type is a critical element of the blood supply. Trauma patients are frequently transfused with this blood type as there is generally not enough time to perform a blood type test. If there were a major accident, UBS would not have enough blood on the shelf. O negative only occurs in about 6% of the population.
“Our blood drive schedule is very light during the summer because colleges and high schools (which provide about 25% of donated blood) are on summer break, and employers who sponsor blood drives have been short-staffed because of vacations,” said Linda Grace, Senior Donor Recruitment Rep of United Blood Services, this area’s non-profit community blood provider.
By donating at a United Blood Services blood drive in Brownwood, the donated blood stays local and will be used to save the lives of patients in Brownwood Regional Medical Center. Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Additional height/weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian.
“We encourage people to donate blood to take advantage of the opportunity to give a gift that will make a real difference in someone’s life. The priceless gift of life costs nothing but about an hour of your time,” Grace said.
Blood Drives in Brownwood:
Tuesday, June 24th from 10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Brownwood Regional Medical Center
1501 Burnett Dr.
Meeting /Conference Rooms
Donors get Hero in Me Reward Points and a FREE cholesterol check
Monday, July 7th from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
TXDOT Brownwood
Friday, July 11th from 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Heartland Mall in Early
To schedule an appointment for BRMC, please call Andrea Lee at 649-3392 or go online to www.unitedbloodservices.org and enter the sponsor code: brmc
United Blood Services has been this area’s non-profit community blood provider since 1956 and serves patients in 8 hospitals in 11 counties. The United Blood Services network is one of the nation’s oldest and largest non-profit blood service organizations, and is a founding member of America’s Blood Centers and the AABB, formerly the American Association of Blood Banks.
