It’s that time of year again. You’ve made a New Year’s resolution and you’re determined to keep it. Maybe you’re at the gym, or you’re determined to avoid all junk food. Making a healthy choice for the New Year is never a bad idea, but Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare has a resolution that you can add to your list, one that we guarantee you can successfully keep – we want you to resolve to save a life.
Besides being the month for New Year’s resolutions, January is also National Blood Donor Month. A simple blood donation, which takes about an hour, can mean the difference between life and death for about one in seven people who come to the hospital - that’s how many people end up needing life-giving blood during their treatment.
As the regions only designated Trauma Center, Tallahassee Memorial sees patients with life-threatening injuries every day. These patients have an increased risk of bleeding which can result in hemorrhagic shock, a deadly condition that occurs when a person loses more than 20 percent (one-fifth) of their body’s blood. Hemorrhagic shock is the second leading cause of death in trauma patients and poses the greatest risk of death in the first 24 hours.
Having a readily available supply of blood quite literally means the difference between life and death. In fact, as you’re reading this, a local patient needs blood to survive. During 2016, Tallahassee Memorial’s Bixler Trauma and Emergency Center provided medical care to 1,575 trauma patients – 301 needed blood products as a part of their care.
From start to finish, the blood donation process typically takes about an hour. Once you arrive at a community blood center, a staff member completes a quick health exam and questionnaire to ensure you meet all the blood donation requirements. Once approved, you’ll head to a donor bed where a phlebotomist, someone trained to draw blood, will clean you arm and use a blood donation kit to draw one unit/pint of blood from your arm.
The actual blood drawing process only takes 8-10 minutes and once you are finished it is recommended that you relax, drink fluids and have a snack to avoid feeling light-headed. That’s right, this is a New Year’s resolution that involves eating, drinking and relaxing!
So where can you complete a New Year’s resolution, eat, drink, relax and save a life? Just look for the signature big red bus of Oneblood, our community blood donation organization. One blood has blood drives almost every single day of the year in the community or at their main donation center, you can find a convenient location to give blood simply by visiting their website: oneblood.org or calling 850-877-7181.
Unfortunately, less than 10 percent of those eligible to give blood in the U.S. actually donate, even though one in three of us will need a blood transfusion. As Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare works to make our community the healthiest in the nation, we’re hoping each and every one of you will add a New Year’s resolution to your list and kick off 2017 with a quick and easy blood donation.