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November 9, 2009
Give blood through ‘Save A Life Partnership’

By Kim Urquhart

In an effort to spread awareness about the vital need for emergency community blood supplies and public donations, Emory Healthcare and Emory University are once again taking part in the American Red Cross-sponsored “Save A Life Partnership.”

“A few days each year the blood supply in our community drops to a critically low level. This is one of many reasons why the Save A Life partnership between Emory University, Emory Healthcare and the American Red Cross is such a high priority,” says Dean of Campus Life John Ford.

Blood drive coordinators, representing academic, health care, and select university departments, will lead blood drive efforts for the Emory system in an attempt to collect this year’s goal of 2,042 units of blood.

According to the American Red Cross, each donation can be used to help save as many as three lives. In FY09 Emory collected 1,733 units of blood, which could possibly save 5,199 lives, says Terrill Cooper, Emory’s Red Cross representative.

The intent of this initiative is to not only exceed Emory's blood donation goal, but to establish the program as an annual Emory system initiative that leads community members to become lifetime blood donors, organizers say.

For the past two years, Emory has received an award from the American Red Cross recognizing the community’s efforts in blood collection, donor recruitment and commitment to saving lives.

“This partnership fosters the commitment of faculty, staff and students to organize blood drives designed make it convenient for all members of our community to donate blood,” says Ford. “I hope everyone will support these drives located across campus.”

To learn more about the “Save A Life” program, contact Duriel Garner. To locate upcoming blood drives and to schedule an appointment for a campus blood drive, visit www.givelife.org and enter the sponsor code "Emory."