Forrest General Hospital to Host Community Blood Drive Jan. 16-17
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (JANUARY 13, 2025) Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and/or platelets. Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S. Forrest Health hospitals transfuse an average of 600 to 800 units of blood each month. For a year, that’s about 9,600 units.
So, where do you fit in to all of this?
You can make a difference and help in all of these instances by donating blood or becoming a regular blood donor. Forrest General Hospital will hold a community blood drive from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm, January 16 and 17, 2025, in the FGH Cafeteria Meeting Rooms.
Successful donors, who make an appointment by January 14 and 15, will be guaranteed a Subway box lunch. All donors will receive a long-sleeved, dry-fit hoodie, and the first 200 donors will receive free movie tickets.
The Pine Belt plays a vital role in keeping shelves stocked with donations in order to aid those in the community who might need it. Once ‘banked,’ your blood becomes a lifesaving ingredient for someone in your community. That is why it is important to donate at blood centers that keep their blood donations local, and why Forrest Health partners with The Blood Center. Donations made at The Blood Center remain local to meet the needs of Forrest General Hospital and Forrest Health’s six regional facilities. Blood donations do not get shipped out to other parts of the state or even out of state.
If every two seconds there is a need for blood, that’s a lot of blood. There is no substitute for blood when it is needed. It is only manufactured by the human body, and it is only made available to those who need it by people who donate it.
Less than five percent of the eligible population actually donates blood. Most blood shortages are felt around the holidays and during the summer months when usage is up and donations tend to decrease. By becoming a regular blood donor, you could help ensure that shortages never occur. Red blood cells last for 42 days, while platelets last for only five days.
A person’s platelets and plasma are universal and are especially needed for emergencies. Both of these are used extensively with trauma patients. As a Level II Trauma Center, Forrest General treats all levels of trauma patients – car wrecks, gunshot wounds, stabbings, blunt force trauma – so the need for blood donations is great in order to keep the hospital’s supply sufficiently stocked. Blood is also needed for neonatal transfusions.
A wide variety of patients receive blood transfusions. The various components of donated blood are used to treat different conditions. For example, red blood cells are transfused to patients who have lost blood due to trauma or surgery, and to treat anemia (including sickle cell anemia). Cancer patients need platelet transfusions to replace the healthy cells destroyed during chemotherapy and radiation.
To donate blood, a person must be a healthy adult between the ages of 17 and 75, weigh at least 110 pounds, and feel well enough to perform normal activities. A 16-year-old can donate, but needs to weigh 130 pounds, and have signed parental consent.
During a blood draw, one pint of blood is taken. The average person’s body contains 10 to 12 pints of blood, so the small loss is easily afforded. The fluid or plasma is replaced within 24 hours. The red cells take about five weeks.
The entire blood donation process takes about an hour. The actual donation takes about 10 minutes and is painless. The needle insertion may feel like a little pinch; other than that, most donors feel no discomfort.
When you donate to a blood drive hosted by The Blood Center, all of the blood stays local to Forrest Health facilities. Statistics show about one in seven people entering a hospital needs blood. One pint of blood can save up to three lives. Donating blood costs nothing but a little bit of your time. This time could mean a lifetime to someone else.
Click here to sign up for an appointment today!
ABOUT FORREST HEALTH
Forrest Health is a system of healthcare organizations formed to increase access to quality health care in south Mississippi. Forrest General Hospital is its flagship hospital. In addition to Forrest General, Forrest Health hospitals include: Highland Community Hospital, Picayune; Jefferson Davis Community Hospital & Extended Care Facility, Prentiss; Marion General Hospital, Columbia; Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home, Poplarville; Perry County General Hospital, Richton; and Walthall General Hospital, Tylertown. Forrest Health is also home to The Orthopedic Institute and Institute of Neuroscience, both in Hattiesburg, as well as a variety of healthcare clinics throughout its 19-county coverage area.
