Today, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed January as Blood Donation Month in North Carolina to encourage those who are healthy and eligible to sign up to donate blood.
“It’s not just during a crisis, but an ample blood supply is needed all the time in order to help give life to others,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “If you’re healthy and eligible, sign up to donate today.”
“The start of the new year is one of the most challenging times to collect enough blood products, despite the constant demand,” said Garrett Reid, Regional Biomedical CEO, American Red Cross Eastern North Carolina.
In Wayne County, The American Red Cross will host a blood drive at Cherry Hospital Thursday, January 26th from 10:30 am-3 pm. Currently, 17 of 25 appointments are filled, which means only 8 more appointments are needed to reach the goal. The start of a new year is the perfect time to make a resolution to become a regular blood donor in 2023.
One blood donation has the potential to save up to three lives. The Red Cross of North Carolina collected 261,000 units of blood from volunteer blood donors from July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. They also held 11,500 blood drives across the state in that time period.
Visit redcrossblood.org to learn more and schedule an appointment to donate blood.
