Blood Donor Will Win New Car
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky Blood Center is hoping to head off the typical summer time blood shortage by providing donors a big incentive to give blood. Now and continuing through Labor Day, every blood donor 18 years old and older will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a 2010 Toyota Camry.
The medical community relies on the blood supply for many treatments, including traumas, which can increase in the summer.
“Without blood we can’t do what we do,” said surgeon Andrew Bernard, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Kentucky Medical School.
“A typical patient requiring blood transfusion might require two or four units, but if the bleeding is very severe, the blood requirement could be six, 10, 20, 40, 60 units or more,” Bernard said. “It may take that many donors to save that one life.”
Summer shortages are common nationally for multiple reasons. High school and colleges, which host blood drives that provide more than 20 percent of blood donations, are on break. Further, blood drive results are impacted because of vacations.
All individuals who are 18 years old and older who voluntarily register to donate whole blood, Pheresis, double red cells, autologous and/or designated donations are eligible to win the 2010 Toyota Camry. Therapeutic donors are not eligible. Each donation in the contest period will be considered as a unique entry, therefore, multiple donations will constitute multiple entries.
Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health and have a photo I.D. Appointments can be made by calling 800.775.2522 or visiting www.kybloodcenter.org.
The Kentucky Blood Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring a safe, adequate blood supply for patients at nearly 70 Kentucky hospitals and clinics in more than 60 counties. In the past year KBC processed and distributed 82,000 red blood cell units and 127,000 blood components in total.