Minden Police may have won the trophy, but the real winners are the ones that will benefit from the friendly competition LifeShare Blood Center hosted between police and fire departments to see who would reign as victor– cuffs or is it hoses?
Minden Police Department holds the title as winner for being the only division to not only meet their blood donation goals, but to exceed them, beating Minden Fire Department by 2 units.
LifeShare invites everyone to join the fun and celebration by participating in this year’s annual United We Give campaign. Everyone who donates with LifeShare from July 1 through 5 will receive a $10 gift card for lunch and a limited-edition t-shirt. They are excited to have Raising Canes again this year as our partner in this campaign.
Blood donations decrease during the summer but, historically, there is a higher demand for blood products in July. According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis, July 4th and 5th are the two busiest days of the year for U.S. hospital emergency rooms, with nearly 10,000 more patients than any other two-day average. The biggest reason for the spike is due to injuries from fireworks.
About one-third of fireworks-related injuries are burns, based on research from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
“Burn patients use lots of blood products over long periods of time, especially red blood cells and plasma, due to the loss of red cells and clotting factors with these types of wounds,” said Dr. Tim Peterson, Medical Director for LifeShare Blood Center. Plasma and red blood cells are needed to maintain an adequate oxygen supply by the patient as they recover.”
A single donation can impact up to three people since most whole blood donations are separated into individual components: red cells, platelets, and plasma.
Unlike most other life-saving medical treatments, blood cannot be manufactured or stockpiled. Red blood cells expire after only 42 days and platelets after only 7 days.
“We rely on each donation, each day, to meet the needs of our local patients and hospitals,” said Mandi Johnson, Director of Community Engagement.
Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Schedule your blood donation at http://www.lifeshare.org/give or visit us at http://www.lifeshare.org/united to learn more.