Blood donors hailed as heroes

This is a press release from the Philippine Red Cross:

MANILA, Philippines – On World Blood Donors’ Day, June 14, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) cited the heroism of blood donors, saying they are everyday heroes because through their blood donation, they save lives.

PRC Chairman Richard J. Gordon said this year’s celebration focuses on thanking blood donors who save lives every day through their blood donations. The celebration took the theme “Thank you for saving my life.”

“You are heroes. The blood you donate matters because it saves precious lives. Every day, there is an urgent need for blood. Your blood donation spells the difference between life and death,” Gordon stressed.

“This is why we are strongly encouraging people to donate blood voluntarily and regularly. We are calling on our regular blood donors to continue giving blood and other people in good health who have never given blood to begin doing so because we have to keep an adequate supply of safe and quality blood to enable us to respond to emergencies,” he added.

Gordon explained that blood donation is a simple and painless process that takes less than 15 minutes to complete. The donor just have to pass all the necessary health checks before donating blood.

He said the PRC has 82 Blood Service Facilities, including the newly-opened PRC Tower National Blood Center, which is now operating 24/7 to supply blood requirements any time and is also conveniently located along Boni Avenue corner EDSA, near the MRT Boni Station.

The PRC Tower Blood Center sits on two floors of the building, covering an area of 1,000 square meters with a blood storage capacity of 3,000 units at a time. It has a walk-in blood bank refrigerator and five floor-types blood bank refrigerators. It also has state-of-the-art testing machines for HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis and Malaria as well as five apheresis machines

Gordon also disclosed that the PRC also has programs for indigents who require blood such as the Blood Samaritan Program and the PCSO Blood Samaritan Funds, a tie-up with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Requirements for getting blood for indigents: blood request, Certificate of Indigency from Hospital or Social Worker or Barangay Certificate. – Rappler.com

Every day, the Philippine Red Cross needs 2500-3000 blood units to meet the blood demand of Filipinos. The PRC needs healthy individuals to take a leap, roll up their sleeves, and donate their most precious blood.

A decision to donate your blood can save a life! Check out the PRC’s Blood Service Facility Directory to find the nearest in your area:http://bit.ly/BLoodSF.