Jan 29, 2021
Food Banks and Pantry’s have served more first-time food bank recipients than ever before, due to pandemic-related unemployment. To help make a difference in our region, United Hospital Center employees are holding a blood drive called Save Lives – Feed Families. Each donation can help save three lives and at the same time provide a meal to those in need. Joining us for more details about how UHC employees are making a difference is Ralph Johns, MT, Blood Bank Lead Technologist at UHC.
1). What are we seeing as far as blood donations in the region?
A blood donation shortfall over the recent holidays is spurring a call for donations. In North Central WV and western PA, nearly 50 blood drives were cancelled recently, resulting in the loss of about 1,500 anticipated donations that would have been used to help trauma patients, those being treated for cancer, and others in need of blood.
United Hospital Center (UHC) is actively addressing this decline in blood donations by hosting a Blood Drive for our staff only on Wednesday, February 3, from 10 am to 3:30 pm.
2). While UHC is helping to answer the call for blood donations with the drive on Wednesday, Feb. 3, UHC is also helping the community in another way at this drive. Tell us more about this.
That is right. At the same time, thousands of people in our region are food-insecure due to pandemic-related unemployment. A financial contribution will be made to the Clarksburg Mission on every donor’s behalf, thanks to funding made possible by the Blood Science Foundation and UHC. We have worked with our blood drive vendor Vitalant to make this financial contribution possible.
3). Will you be testing for COVID-19 antibodies at the blood drive?
Yes, every UHC employee who donates at the Blood Drive on February 3 will have their blood tested for COVID-19 antibodies to learn whether they had COVID-19 in the past, regardless of whether they experienced symptoms. This test helps Vitalant find potential donors who could give convalescent plasma to help patients with severe, active cases of COVID-19.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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