The Rock River Valley Blood Center is urging healthy individuals to donate blood in honor of World Blood Donor Day on June 14. The center will be celebrating the holiday with a blood drive on that day at all donor centers and blood drives during regular business hours. All donors will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of 10 $25 gas cards. Schedule a donation at rrvbc.org, on the myRRVBC app, or by calling 815-965- 8751.
World Blood Donor Day serves to thank voluntary blood donors for their life-saving gift of blood and also to raise awareness of the need for donors to give blood on a regular basis. This helps to ensure that all individuals and communities have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality-assured blood and blood products, as an integral part of universal health coverage and a key component of effective health systems.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization recently announced the focus of this year’s campaign is: “Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives.” The theme aims to draw attention to the roles that voluntary and regular blood donations play in saving lives and enhancing solidarity within communities.
“We have a critical ongoing need for blood in our community and summer presents a unique challenge for us as donations typically decrease because of travel and other summer commitments,” said Lisa Entrikin, CEO of the Rock River Valley Blood Center. ”But the need greatly increases as outdoor activities ramp up and hospitals see more trauma cases. As the only local supplier of blood to 13 regional hospitals, we are always in need of donations. We invite everyone to join the effort on June 14 and consider becoming a voluntyary blood donor on a regular basis.”
Blood and blood components are essential to help people survive everyday disasters, crises, and tragedies. They are essential for surgeries, childbirth-associated bleeding, patients with traumatic injuries from accidents, cancer treatments, bone marrow transplants, immune-deficiency conditions, and so much more. Every two seconds, someone, somewhere, needs blood. This is why blood donations are essential, and not just when there’s a tragedy, national disaster, or pandemic.