Give blood during National Blood Donor Month at AEDC

  • Published
  • By Raquel March
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  January is National Blood Donor Month and AEDC employees will have an opportunity to donate blood with Blood Assurance during a blood drive Jan. 21-25, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Blood Assurance provides a convenient method for donating blood using a mobile blood collection lab.

The bloodmobile will move to a different location each day while stationed at AEDC.

The dates and corresponding locations are: Jan. 21 - the Engine Test Facility office building 877; Jan. 22 - the Propulsion Wind Tunnel office building 740; Jan. 23 - the Administration and Engineering building 100; Jan. 24 - the Aeropropulsion Systems Testing Facility Test Support building 1099; and Jan. 25 - the Main Cafeteria building 452.

During this blood drive, donors will receive a long sleeve T-shirt, snack and drink. Donors will also have a chance to register for the January giveaway which is an Apple iPad 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet with retina display. Participants can complete one registration form per person, per day. One winner will be drawn on Feb. 1.

It takes more than 400 donations every day to meet the need for blood in the areas serviced by Blood Assurance. The donations received will be used in Winchester, Manchester and Tullahoma hospitals.

Some common struggles this time of the year with receiving donations are holiday schedules, inclement weather and winter illnesses.

"According to Blood Assurance the goal for this upcoming blood drive is 125 units of blood," said Leslie Myers, a Comprehensive Occupational Resources (CORE) registered nurse (RN) for Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA).

The donation is limited to a single blood donation and usually takes less than 10 minutes.

Myers said preparation is the key to an enjoyable donation.

"Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate," she said. "Eat something at least three hours prior to the donation."

Blood Assurance is a non-profit, full-service regional blood center serving more than 50 health care facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. Founded in 1972 as a joint effort of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, the Chattanooga Area Hospital Council, and the Chattanooga Jaycees, the mission of Blood Assurance is to provide a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood components to every area patient in need.

Blood Assurance is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Public Health, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the Alabama State Board of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

For more AEDC blood donation guidelines and information, contact Myers at 454-5387.