County, blood center team up for drive
Pam Tucker wants to make sure the area's blood supply this winter won't be too low to help in case of an emergency.
Kristy Baumgart, a phlebotomist with Shepeard Community Blood Center, takes blood from a donor during Columbia County's 2004 annual winter blood drive at the Columbia County Government Complex. The 2005 blood drive will be held Thursday.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
"We don't like to see the supplies get this low," said Tucker, Columbia County's emergency services director, referring to the current blood supply at Shepeard Community Blood Center. "That's why emergency services try to help in the winter and in the summer."
To ensure adequate blood supplies, Columbia County Emergency Services and Shepeard Community Blood Center are teaming up to hold their sixth annual Winter Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Evans Government Auditorium Building A.
During the winter and spring months blood donations typically decline because of a shortage of donors, Tucker said,
"It's just that time of year when you don't have a lot of people coming out going to the blood center," said Tucker, the blood captain and organizer of the event.
Those wanting to donate blood Thursday must weigh at least 110 pounds, be at least 17 years old, relatively healthy, must provide a photo ID and cannot have donated blood in the past eight weeks. Tucker said all donors will receive a T-shirt, a red blood band, lunch and a free cholesterol screening.
Since the blood drive will be held in an auditorium, Tucker said, more donors will be able to donate blood simultaneously, rather than one at a time on the blood center's truck. She said she hopes this year's drive will exceed 2004's donor total.
"Last year, we had 213 donors, and that was fabulous," she said. "If we could equal or pass that, we would be thrilled."