PAINT THE WORLD RED ON WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY

COMMUNITY BLOOD CENTER JOINS JUNE 14 CELEBRATION

On June 14, 2011 the Dayton region and Community Blood Center (CBC) will join countries worldwide in celebrating World Blood Donor Day with events to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.

This year’s theme "More blood. More life" reinforces the urgent need for more people all over the world to become life-savers by volunteering to donate blood regularly.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is encouraging communities everywhere to join the campaign and “Paint the World Red” with symbolic red coverings on landmark structures, red-colored themes at entertainment events, or forming a "human blood drop" in prominent public places.

The Community Blood Center is taking part in the Paint the World Red theme with our “Redefine the Meaning of Red t-shirts and our bright red Jeep Patriot give-away. We are also joining the social media campaign for World Donor Day to help spread the word about the global benefits of blood donations. The CBC is asking donors to post pictures of themselves donating on the CBC Facebook page in honor of World Blood Donor Day and encourage friends and family to follow their lead and become regular blood donors.



The request comes at a challenging time for local blood centers. Many regular donors are busy with summer vacations and travel, and forget or are unable to schedule a donation. The Community Blood Center also wants to encourage donors to look beyond our immediate local needs and recognize that a safe and sufficient blood supply is a global responsibility that impacts us all.

This year the WHO is hoping to draw attention to important concerns:

• 65 % of all blood donations are in developed countries, home to just 25 percent of the world population.
• A country needs at least 1 % of its population to donate to meet its basic requirements for blood transfusions. 73 countries donate less than 1 %. 
• 42 countries collect less than 25 % of blood from voluntary donations, considered the safest.
• 31 countries collected paid donations (2007).
• 41 countries are not able to screen all donations.

Why are safe blood donations so important for saving lives and improving health?

Blood transfusion is needed for:

• Women with complications of pregnancy, such as ectopic pregnancies and haemorrhage before, during or after childbirth.
• Children with severe anaemia often resulting from malaria or malnutrition.
• People with severe trauma following accidents.
• Surgical and cancer patients.

Blood donation requirements: Donors are required to provide a photo ID that includes their full name. Past CBC donors are also asked to bring their CBC donor ID card. Donors must be at least 16 years of age (16 years old with parental consent: form available at www.givingblood.org or at CBC branch & blood drive locations), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and be in good physical health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changes blood donor eligibility guidelines periodically. Individuals with eligibility questions are invited to email canidonate@cbccts.org or call 1(800)388-GIVE. Make an appointment at www.DonorTime.com.


Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services® is an independent, not-for-profit organization. Community Blood Center provides blood products to 24 hospitals within a 15-county service area in the Miami (Ohio) and Whitewater (Indiana) Valleys. For more information about Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services®, visit www.givingblood.org.