Florida Blood Services & Dunking Donuts Brew Up a Lifesaving Partnership to Celebrate Donors During National Blood Donor Month “ Give A Pint – Get A Pound”ST. PETERSBURG - Throughout the month of January, Blood Centers, Hospitals and blood transfusion recipients across the country recognize and thank volunteer blood donors through the annual celebration of National Blood Donor Month. This January, Dunkin' Donuts has teamed up with Florida Blood Services (FBS) to thank all lifesaving donors with a "Give a Pint - Get a Pound" coupon for a FREE pound of Dunkin' Donuts coffee! In addition, FBS will provide donors with an insulated travel mug as well as a wellness checkup of blood pressure, pulse, temperature and iron count, including a cholesterol screening. Generally, healthy people, age 16 (with parental permission) or older, who weigh at least 110 pounds can be blood donors. For further eligibility questions or to find donation locations, people can call 1-800-68 BLOOD (25663) or visit www.fbsblood.org This year alone, as many as five million patients in the United States will require blood transfusions, as accident victims, people undergoing surgery, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer and other diseases. Yet, according to a study by W. Riley (et al) published in the July 2007 issue of Transfusion, only 37 percent of the population is eligible to give blood. However, less than 10 percent of the eligible population gives annually. Everyone, whether it is realized or not, depends on blood. Every two seconds, someone needs blood. Each day, patients across the country receive approximately 39,000 units of this lifesaving resource. Here in Florida, as the new year begins and our winter population increases, so does the demand on our community’s blood supply. With more than 800 donations needed daily to save the lives of patients throughout the Tampa Bay area, FBS is requesting the vital support of all eligible citizens to help prevent blood shortages. There is no better time to start than during National Blood Donor Month which began January 1. Headquartered in St. Petersburg, FBS currently provides blood and blood components to patients at 61 hospitals and other ambulatory healthcare facilities in 14 Northwest Florida, Southern Alabama and Tampa Bay counties. After a merger is finalized in the new year with Southeastern Community Blood Center in Tallahassee, a combined total of almost 300,000 volunteer donations will be needed annually to serve patients at 84 hospitals in 40 counties.
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