Modern medicine and healthy blood supply go hand-in-hand: Rusk State Hospital to host blood drive to save community patients’ lives

RUSK – Today’s online communications platforms, like social media, are filled with stories about people in need of medical care and searching for helpful resources, including financial assistance. The volume of stories posted represents a fraction of the real patient scenarios in which someone requires a blood transfusion. These modern medical miracles rely on a safe and sufficient blood supply. Here are a few of the reasons blood donations are requested so often:

•blood cannot be manufactured;

•blood cannot be ordered from the local pharmacy;

•blood can only come from generous blood donors who want to help others;

•blood donated has a shelf life and must be replenished.

Rusk State Hospital is helping boost the local blood supply by hosting a drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at 1601 N. Dickinson in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information, or to schedule an appointment time, contact Jarrod Garbutt at (903) 683-7327.

It is vital that each one of us begins to view blood donation as an essential support for a modern, high-tech health care system. For information on donor eligibility and appointments, call or text 800-366-2834 or visit carterbloodcare.org.

Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 180 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of north, central and east Texas. The non-profit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 450,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products. Tu centro de sangre comunitario: http://www.carterbloodcare.org/sp/.