March 15 and 16, 2002, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, KTRK-TV ABC 13, RADIO Disney 1590AM, and St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital are joining forces for the Fifth Annual ABC 13 Spring Blood Drive – Perform a Lifesaving Act. Donors can visit eight mobile 1ocations conveniently located at malls in Houston and surrounding areas.
All those attempting to donate will receive a special ABC 13 Spring Blood Drive T-shirt and a coupon fur u free Chick-fil-A sandwich. Lest years Spring Blood Drive netted 900 donations, benefiting as many as 2,700 patients in the Texas Gulf Coast region. The Blood Center would like to encourage all eligible donors regardless of blood type to please donate.
The 2002 ABC 13 Spring Blood Drive will help replenish the optimal 3-day regional blood supply level, which recently has proven difficult to achieve and maintain due to a decrease in donations and an increase in blood usage since the holiday season. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center provides blood and blood components to patients in over 200 hospitals and healthcare facilities in its 24-county service area. To maintain an adequate supply at all times The B1ood Center must meet its daily collection goal of 700 donations. A 24-hour period is required for proper testing of donated blood before it can be placed on hospital shelves. Red blood cells must be transfused within 42 days, and platelets, whioh aid in bloods clotting and are most commonly required by cancer patients, are good for only five days.
Because of these short shelf lives, patients depend upon the generousity of regular, volunteer blood doners.
Donors must be at least 17 years of age, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be in good general health The donation process is simple and sterile taking only about 30 to 45 minutes total.
For more information about the ABC 13 Spring Blood Drive, Blood Center facility location, or the blood donation process, call The Blood Center at 713-790-1200, l-888-GV-BLOOD or visit The Blood Centers Web site. www.giveblood.org for a complete list of donation locations and phone numbers.
Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is a member of Americas Blood Centers, the national network of nonprofit community blood centers that collect half of the United States blood supply. In the northeast Houston area, blood collection locations include, the community room at Deerbrook Mall on March 15 and Northwest Mall near SRO on March 16.
