Living
Carter Blood Care to host blood drive at Lakeview Baptist Church
Monday, 05 March 2012 by Keith Bahlmann
Giving blood once helps save lives. Giving blood frequently can save lives and benefit your personal health. Each time you give blood, the phlebotomist checks your blood pressure, pulse, current temperature and hemoglobin level. Additionally, when your blood is tested for diseases before it is released for public use, the lab provides you with a free total cholesterol level within days of your donation. You can retrieve that information online or by phone. Tracking these trends in your health information can help you and your doctor monitor your overall wellness. Committing to giving blood benefits you and your community.
Lakeview Baptist Church is hosting a blood drive from 1-5 p.m. on Feb. 26 at 7717 Highway 317 on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Larry Smith at (254) 721-5136.
Blood is never transfused without a prescription from a doctor. As a volunteer blood donor you are an essential link between the ordering physician and the transfusion-dependent patient because there is no substitute for human blood.
Approximately 37 percent of the population is eligible to give blood at any given time; yet less than seven percent are doing it. Carter BloodCare needs to see 1100 donors a day to maintain a safe and sufficient blood supply.
Potential blood donors can volunteer beginning at age 16 with a parent's consent, and 17-year-olds and older can give independently. All donors must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good general health and present a photo ID each time. It's also a good idea to eat a nutritious meal and drink plenty of water before giving blood. For more information about donor eligibility and to make an appointment, call Carter BloodCare at (800) 366-2834 or visit carterbloodcare.org.
Carter BloodCare's volunteer blood donors provide lifesaving blood for patients at more than 200 healthcare facilities in 58 counties in North, Central and East Texas. Carter BloodCare is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks, and is a member of America's Blood Centers.
