Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The New Rockford community hosted a blood drive with Vitalant on May 25 at St. John’s Catholic Church, which helped collect a total of 43 units of blood products for patients in need.
A total of 49 individuals volunteered to donate blood and 40 individuals were able to successfully donate at the Vitalant blood drive on May 25. Three donors also came forward to donate Power Red Cells (2RBC) which collects two units of red blood cells while returning platelets, plasma and a saline solution back to the donor. There were three people who volunteered for the first time!
Vitalant expressed their gratitude to Sharon Lesmeister, who coordinated the drive, and St. John’s Catholic Church which sponsored the blood drive, as well as others who assisted with the drive: Amy Perleberg, Connie Bjerke, Eunice Throlson & MarJean Pfau, Karen Anderson, Sandy O’Connor, Sharon Eversvik, and Father Reese Weber.
The need for blood is constant, and Vitalant strives to always keep a 5-day supply of every blood type on the shelf to be able to meet the needs of patients across the region. Trauma and burn patients, premature infants, heart surgery patients, organ transplant recipients and people fighting cancer all require blood transfusions for their care.
Blood donations are needed daily to maintain a strong blood supply and meet ongoing patient needs. Vitalant encourages healthy individuals to make blood donation a part of one’s regular routine to help meet the ongoing needs.
Donors can make a convenient appointment to give blood at http://www.donors.vitalant.org or by calling 877-25-VITAL. With each donation, donors receive a free total cholesterol test and earn reward points. The next blood drive is planned to be held on Monday, July 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at First Lutheran Church.
Blood donation takes about an hour from check-in to refreshments, with the blood draw typically taking less than 10 minutes. Donors can save about 20 minutes by completing their Health History Questionnaire the day they donate online at http://www.vitalant.org/health.
