Freestone Medical Center Health Clinic to save local patients’ lives by hosting much-needed drive
Heart disease never stops taking lives, regardless of time of day, month or year. It remains the number one killer of women and men, and patients undergoing heart surgeries can require multiple blood transfusions. This February, during American Heart Month, Carter BloodCare reminds the community that heart surgery patients need blood to survive. The only source of that blood is from generous blood donors.
The local blood supply for hospital patients has never returned to pre-pandemic levels, and because of this, blood donors are urgently needed now. Those eligible to donate are asked to try to do it at least twice in 2022. If all eligible donors gave at least twice, there would seldom be a shortage.
Freestone Medical Center Health Clinic is hosting a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 734 W. Commerce St. in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Rebecca Yarbrough at (903) 389-1618.
Donors can complete the medical history questionnaire online on the day of donation, before arriving to give blood. People with and without COVID-19 vaccinations are both eligible to donate blood.
Carter BloodCare staff and unvaccinated donors are required to wear facial coverings at blood drives or donation centers, except when temperature is taken during screening, or when eating and drinking after the donation. Vaccinated donors are strongly encouraged to continue wearing masks. Carter BloodCare will comply with required mask mandates, as applicable.
Potential blood donors may volunteer at age 16 with parental consent; 17-year-olds can give independently and there is no upper age limit. For more information on donor eligibility and to make an appointment, call or text 800-366-2834 or visit CarterBloodCare.org.
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 180 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central and East Texas. The non-profit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 450,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products.
Tu centro de sangre comunitario.
