Carter BloodCare partners with CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System; NE TX blood drives set for Aug. 2
CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System is joining with Carter BloodCare to meet the needs of Northeast Texas patients and donors with upcoming blood drives scheduled for Aug. 2.
“Partnering with such a well-known, established brand like Carter BloodCare will allow us to reach a larger donor pool and expand our services across the region,” said Jessica Johnson, blood bank section and laboratory supervisor at CHRISTUS St. Michael. “A whole blood donation generally takes less than 10 minutes, and you can enjoy the accomplishment of knowing you are helping to save lives.”
Johnson said the health system transfuses an average of 400 units of red blood cells a month. Those units cannot be manufactured, leading to a reliance on donors.
CHRISTUS St. Michael and Carter BloodCare will host their first blood drives at both CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana, Texas and CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital in Atlanta, Texas on Aug. 2.
The blood drives will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the north conference room at CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital – Texarkana, and from noon to 5 p.m. on the donor bus at CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital – Atlanta.
The blood drives are open to the public. Those that are interested can either walk in and donate, or schedule an appointment by calling 903-614-2137 or by searching by ZIP code at www.CarterBloodCare.org.
“Carter BloodCare has enjoyed a partnership with other CHRISTUS ministries and is excited to expand with CHRISTUS St. Michael,” said Clint McCoy, director of mobile donor recruitment and regional operations with Carter BloodCare. “This partnership will allow Carter BloodCare to better serve the relentless demand for blood in the ArkLaTex region.”
All blood types are needed, but O negative and O positive are critical. O negative is the universal blood type and the only type used to treat premature and unborn babies. O positive can be used in emergency situations such as traumatic bleeding.
“It is literally within you to save a life” McCoy said.
About CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System
CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, serving as the area’s only heart care and comprehensive cancer care, is nestled within over 128 acres of oak, pine and dogwood trees along Interstate 30 in Texarkana, Texas. Its central location in Northeast Texas allows CHRISTUS St. Michael to serve residents of Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System includes a 311-bed acute care hospital, the 50-bed CHRISTUS St. Michael Rehabilitation Hospital, the 43-bed CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital – Atlanta, the W. Temple Webber Cancer Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Imaging Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Day Rehabilitation, CHRISTUS St. Michael Wound Care Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Outpatient Rehabilitation Center – Atlanta, and more.
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 200 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central and East Texas. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 440,000 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.
