A Gift That Keeps Giving: Consider the Life-Saving Gift of a Blood Donation this Holiday Season

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood – but only about 10 percent of those who are eligible to give actually make a blood donation each year. Donated blood is a necessary part of helping patients cope with a wide variety of conditions, including burns, trauma, heart surgery, cancer, organ transplants and more. And a little goes a long way, as a one-time blood donation can save the lives of up to three people. It’s one of the best ways to give back to others and help improve the health of our community. 

At Jackson Purchase Medical Center, we are proud to partner with our local American Red Cross chapter to host local blood drives. Following the surge of needs in our community from the recent tornado, we have scheduled a blood drive from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Dec. 22. A second drive is being scheduled for Dec. 30. Walk-ins are welcome, but a limited number of times are also available for preregistration at RedCrossBlood.org. If you can’t fit one of our blood drives into your schedule, you can find a drive near you online. 

To be eligible to donate, a person must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in generally good health. Donating blood is a simple and safe process that includes registration, a confidential medical history survey and mini-physical, and the donation itself, which takes no more than 10 minutes. After your donation, you’ll receive a rejuvenating snack and a brief rest so you can get back to your day’s activities with minimal disruption.  

Getting the donation process started is quick and easy with the American Red Cross’ RapidPass service, which you can complete by visiting www.redcrossblood.org/rapidpass. You can also use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, which you can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. RapidPass gives you a head start on your pre-donation education and health history survey and allows you to save time at the donation location.