The first 30 people to give blood at the November 15 blood drive at West Shore Medical Center will receive a $10 Meijer gift card, courtesy of Michigan Blood. The blood drive will be held from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in Classroom 2 of the Education Center at the hospital. Drop-ins are welcome, but donors are encouraged to make an appointment by calling Michigan Blood at (231) 935-3030 or visiting miblood.org.

 

Blood donors make a lifesaving difference. More than 4 million Americans would die each year without blood transfusions. “Every two seconds, someone needs blood due to illness or injury, but blood can only be stored for a very short time,” said Kurt Balzuweit, Laboratory Services Manager at West Shore Medical Center. “We need to collect an average of 25 to 30 pints each day to completely support the blood needs of the Manistee community. The winter months are especially challenging because people are so busy with holidays at the same time the need for blood products goes up.”

 

Giving blood is easy and takes only about an hour. “Because of the way a pint of blood can be broken down into its component parts, a single donation can save up to three lives,” said Balzuweit. “Please consider giving the gift of life by donating blood.” You may be eligible to give blood if you are a healthy person age 17 or older (or 16 with parent's/guardian's consent), weighing 110 pounds or more.

 

Michigan Blood is a nonprofit, self-sufficient, independent network of community blood banks that operates only in Michigan. It is the sole provider of blood and blood products for West Shore Medical Center, Munson Medical Center, Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, Kalkaska Memorial Hospital, and Spectrum Health in Reed City.

 

Michigan Blood hosts donor drives from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. each first and third Thursday at West Shore Medical Center and at other locations in Manistee County. Additional information about giving blood and schedules of donor sites can be found online at miblood.org.