Every summer, we along with other area police agencies face off against area fire departments in a friendly competition called Battle for Blood. We compete to see whether police or fire can donate the most units of blood. It's a cause close to the hearts of many who work here. Officers frequently see people in need of one of the most basic components of human life: blood. We work car accidents and investigate shootings and assaults and a number of other circumstances in which the lives of victims depends on the generosity of others who donate blood. According to the Community Blood Center, one victim of a serious car crash can require 50 units of blood.
The recent spate of bad weather means those life-giving donations are not happening very much right now. Maureen O'Sullivan, director of donor recruitment for the Community Blood Center, said the last week of weather has been awful for them. She said several blood drives were scheduled at area schools this week, but all were cancelled because of the weather. Parents who normally come in to donate during their workday haven't because they had to stay home with the kids on snow days. Maureen said blood drives at companies this week also were cancelled when employers told their workers to stay home. Blood drives scheduled for outlying areas also were cancelled because the roads were impassable. To meet the demand for blood by local hospitals, the Blood Center needs to collect an average of 580 units every weekday.
If you can make it to one of the Community Blood Center's five metro-area locations now, you could meet a dire need and save a life. Go to www.savealifenow.org for more information.
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