March 27, 2020
By:
Many of Blood Assurances’ partners are limiting their business to “essential activities” only. The FDA has defined blood drives as an essential community activity and Blood Assurance wants you to know it is perfectly safe to give blood at this time. As the U.S. Surgeon General stated in his address to the nation, “You can still go out and give blood…social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement.”
One of Blood Assurance’s longtime partners, DeKalb Neighbors Helping Neighbors coordinated by Jimmy Poss, County Clerk on a regular basis has stepped up to the plate during the pandemic and hosted a blood drive every 8 weeks with Blood Assurance. Not only did repeat donors come out to support their local blood bank on Monday, March 23, but new donors gave the gift of life for the first time, such as husband and wife, Jimmy and Anita Puckett.
Blood Assurance and the hospitals in its community would greatly appreciate your support. Blood drives are vital to maintaining our healthcare system and the health of patients in your local hospitals.
Blood Assurance is taking additional steps to ensure the health of its donors and is closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak nationally and in its service area. Please visit www.bloodassurance.org/coronavirus. In addition to the special protocols already in place, Blood Assurance is encouraging donors to make appointments and use its quickscreen app to answer health history questions in advance. To do that donors can visit https://www.bloodassurance.org/quickscreen.
Blood Assurance will also be giving away an Echo Dot every week to one randomly chosen donor and one 65” smart T.V. will also be given away at the end of March. All donors over the age of 18 are eligible to win.
Donating whole blood takes about 30 minutes and can impact 3 people in area hospitals. An appointment can be scheduled by phone or online. To schedule an appointment at a donor center or blood drive, please visit www.bloodassurance.org, call 800-962-0628 or text BAGIVE to 999777.
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.
About Blood Assurance
Blood Assurance is a nonprofit, full-service regional blood center serving health care facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia. 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.