TAMC to hold Red Cross blood drive Feb. 5
PRESQUE ISLE — Officials at The Aroostook Medical Center are encouraging members of the public to each donate a pint of blood at the TAMC Red Cross Blood Drive Tuesday, Feb. 5 at A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle. The blood drive will be from noon-5 p.m.
Donating blood is easy. It only takes a little more than an hour and TAMC and Red Cross personnel walk donors through the process, step by step.
“Every pint of donated blood has the potential to save three lives,” said Sherry Beaulieu, a TAMC manager and coordinator of the blood drive. Beaulieu and hospital officials have set a goal of collecting 100 pints of blood during this drive. Last year, TAMC collected an organization record of 250 pints of blood during its two annual blood drives, including 147 pints last August.
The amount of blood needed in this country increases each year, yet only 5 percent of people donate. Someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds.
“The generosity of donors is of vital importance,” said Beaulieu. “Blood cannot be made in a lab.”
Walk-ins are welcome, but to save time, donors can pre-register by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visiting www.givelife.org.
