Did you know that nearly one out of every seven people admitted to the hospital will need blood, or that 4.5 million Americans would die each year without receiving a blood transfusion?
It’s true. And if you or someone you know has ever received blood from a Michigan hospital, it most likely came from Michigan Blood.
Their blood bank supplies blood to more than 37 hospitals across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula -- including 100 percent of the blood used at Grand Rapids hospitals -- and they make these Michigan hospitals their first priority before meeting any other needs. They like to say their blood is “Pure Michigan” and they encourage people to “recycle themselves.”
As a member of America’s Blood Centers, a nationwide community of connected blood banks in the U.S. and Canada, Michigan Blood also helps this organization provide almost 50 percent of the blood supply in America and 100 percent of Quebec’s blood supply each year.
Through its nine locations and more than 3,700 mobile blood drives, Michigan Blood receives 120,000 blood donations each year. That may seem like a lot, and it is, but more blood is always needed because it’s perishable and can only be stored for a short while.
“It’s getting harder to get people to donate,” says Jim Childress, VP of community relations, adding that it has become “more complicated because of demographics and the economy.”
One factor he cites is that some of the corporations who used to hold blood drives all the time have now gone out of business. Another reason they need more blood is that as Baby Boomers age, they’re needing blood in greater numbers, and the generations younger behind them are smaller in size.
Much of the blood they receive today comes from blood drives at schools, churches, and other organizations.
Although anyone over the age of 16 can donate blood, only four percent or less of the population does. Michigan Blood wants to increase this percentage to help save more lives. Whether people need the blood in case of an emergency, for cancer treatments, surgical needs, or any other reason, the organization would like more people to donate to ensure they can provide what is needed to Michigan hospitals.
“We need blood donations all day, every day,” Childress says. “The need never stops.”
In addition to being a blood bank, Michigan Blood participates in the Be The Match® Registry national bone marrow donor program, which is a “source of pride” for the organization.
Another program they’re proud of is the umbilical cord blood program where mothers can donate cord blood after birth. This type of blood is very useful to patients with complex medical conditions. Michigan Blood is the first public cord blood bank in the state.
Michigan Blood has a few fun events coming up to help raise money and awareness.
An upcoming Zombie Dash will benefit the Michigan Blood Stem Cell Program, which recruits potential marrow/stem cell donors for the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be The Match® Registry. Zombies everywhere are invited to meet at Ah-Nab-Awen Park at dusk on October 27. A link with more information can be found below.
Another fun event that will also benefit the Be The Match® program is the Swing Shift and the Stars Competition. In a fashion similar to Dancing with the Stars, celebrities dance once a month to raise money for charity and Michigan Blood is one of five charities selected this year. You don’t have to attend this event to participate; you can simply visit the website listed below and vote to show your support.
And if you need an incentive to give blood, anyone who tries to donate blood at select locations the day before Thanksgiving (Nov. 21) will get a pie as a gift. The holiday season is always one of the busiest times of the year for Michigan Blood, so this is their way of saying thank you.
“The need for blood doesn’t take a holiday,” says Childress.
If you would like to support Michigan Blood, here are several ways you can:
- Visit
Michigan Blood online to find out more information.
-
Donate blood. Mothers who wish to donate cord blood should call
616-233-8604 (or 866-MIBLOOD), or email
[email protected].
-
Make a donation for Michigan Blood in the
Swing Shift and the Stars Competition.
-
Volunteer with Michigan Blood.
- Attend the
Zombie Dash on October 27.
- Join the
Be The Match national bone marrow registry.
- Like Michigan Blood on
Facebook.
- Follow
@MIBlood on Twitter.
Sources: Jim Childress, Vice President of Community Relations at Michigan Blood, and Meredith Gremel, Director of Public Relations and Marketing
Writer: Heidi Stukkie, Do Good Editor
Images provided by Michigan Blood.