New Red Cross Blood Donation Center to Open at Milford Regional Medical Center
Milford Regional Medical Center, in partnership with the American Red Cross, is opening a Blood Donation Center at the hospital. The new, dedicated space for blood donations will be situated off the new Imaging Center’s waiting room where the old emergency department used to be located. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, February 22, just before the door opens to welcome donors to take part in the kick-off blood drive held in its new location. Those who come out to give blood on that day will receive a $5 Dunkin’ Donuts card as a thank you!
Milford Regional has participated in Red Cross blood drives for more than a decade, but they were limited by the availability of space. Trish Sablitz, director of Donor Recruitment, Massachusetts Blood Services Region, recognizes the contribution made by Milford Regional throughout the years. “The Red Cross has always appreciated the support of Milford Regional Medical Center as one of our valued hospital partners,” she says. “We are so grateful to Milford Regional for this new opportunity to offer donors a dedicated space to help save patient lives.”
The need for volunteer blood donations across the country is great. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood and platelets for those requiring transfusions. In addition, donated blood must be constantly replenished because it only has a shelf life of 42 days. The Red Cross must collect a staggering 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.
With the opening of the new emergency department in the Meehan Family Pavilion creating available space in its previous location, Edward J. Kelly, president and CEO of Milford Regional, is excited to now have the opportunity to provide a dedicated area for greater access to blood donations. “As a regional healthcare facility, I feel it is a real opportunity to assist the Red Cross as they go about their mission to provide life-saving blood to those in need,” he says. “This new Blood Donation Center will make it more convenient for blood donors to give and, ultimately, increase the amount of blood contributed through our Medical Center.”
Blood drives will be held twice a month in the new Blood Donation Center; for dates and times, go to the American Red Cross website at redcrossblood.org.
To participate in the Wednesday, February 22, blood drive at Milford Regional, all eligible donors are urged to make an appointment to give as soon as possible by using the Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Donors at this blood drive can schedule to give whole blood or make a Power Red donation, which is a concentrated dose of red blood cells during a single donation.
