Blood Donors Save Lives

Description

EFFINGHAM— Summer is typically a time of decreased blood donations, but donors with all blood types are greatly needed as inventories continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and other variables. You can make a difference by giving blood locally to help people in your community at an upcoming blood drive hosted by HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital and ImpactLife (previously known as Community Blood Services of Illinois).

BLOOD DRIVE: Tues., July 13 -- 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in St. Anthony’s Auditorium APPOINTMENTS REQUIRED: 217-367-2202 or online via www.bloodcenter.org

Donors should enter St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital through the Pre-Surgical entrance door on the north side of the hospital. All donors will be required to wear a mask and present a photo ID. The last date for donors to have given previously to be eligible for this drive is May 18.

By giving blood through ImpactLife, you’ll provide a lifesaving resource used by local patients. ImpactLife is a not-for-profit community blood center which is the blood provider to 120 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, including HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital.

Air Evac Lifeteam, Abbott EMS Encourage Support of Blood Supply
Emergency medical crews with Air Evac Lifeteam and Abbott EMS know firsthand about the importance of having blood components “on the shelves” and ready to transfuse at a moment’s notice. Staff members from both organizations will participate in the blood drive and encourage the community to follow suit.

“We carry whole blood units from ImpactLife on our flights based in Effingham and the surrounding region,” said Larry Thies, senior program director with Air Evac Lifeteam. “We’re supporting this blood drive because our flight teams understand the difference it makes when they can provide a blood transfusion for patients in need. And we know those units wouldn’t be available without the volunteers who step forward to give blood and support our region’s blood supply.”

All donors to the July 13 blood drive at St. Anthony’s will get their choice of a voucher for a performance pullover or a $10 gift card to redeem at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, Lowe’s or Dunkin Donuts. In addition, all donors will be entered in the blood center’s weekly drawing for a $500 gift card.
A blood donor can give every eight weeks, or up to six times a year. All those age 17 and up (or 16 with a signed parental permission form) who weigh at least 110 lbs. and are in general good health meet the basic eligibility requirements for blood donation. A full list of donor eligibility guidelines may be found at https://www.bloodcenter.org/donate/donor/requirements-faq/.

Photo courtesy of Air Evac Lifeteam.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high-quality Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states – Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.
About Air Evac Lifeteam
Air Evac Lifeteam is the nation’s leading provider of helicopter air ambulance services. Crews consisting of a pilot, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic, are on duty 7 days a week to respond to the scene of a medical emergency or transport patients between medical facilities. The company operates more than 140 air medical bases across 15 states. For more information, please visit www.lifeteam.net.
Air Evac Lifeteam is part of the Global Medical Response family of companies. Global Medical Response, Inc. is the industry-leading air, ground, specialty and residential fire services, and managed medical transportation organization. With more than 38,000 employees, GMR delivers compassionate, quality medical care, primarily in the areas of emergency and patient relocation services in the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.globalmedicalresponse.com.