by David Chapman
Staff Writer
The holidays are a time when many individuals and companies donate time, money and effort to local community efforts. But one local nonprofit is looking for something everyone has, but few think about donating.
The Blood Alliance just wants blood.
The nonprofit community service organization provides blood and blood products to more than 20 hospitals and facilities in 10 Northeast Florida counties along with parts of Georgia and (now) South Carolina. Due to that growth, The Blood Alliance has moved its headquarters into a new 50,000-square foot facility in the centralized Deerwood business area. In addition, the organization is remodeling its Downtown presence, which should reopen sometime after the first of the year, and just opened a new office in Beaufort, S.C
The organization’s growth has made Dr. Marsha Bertholf, Blood Alliance medical director, pleased but she’d still like to see growth in other ways — namely the product it provides those in need.
“The goal is to be self-sufficient,” said Bertholf.
According to John Helgren, Blood Alliance marketing and public relations director, 2 percent of all people able to donate blood in the area already do, yet the national average is 5 percent.
People tend to give blood their first time when tragedy strikes close to them, said Bertholf, but shifting from a reactive response to a proactive one is what will help maintain all eight types of blood levels. When levels are critical, The Blood Alliance has to call upon its neighboring banks for help. But during traditionally slower donor periods like the holidays and summer months, that help isn’t always a given.
For Bertholf, every morning begins with a staff meeting to go over blood type levels. The current supplies of each are then relayed to the public through its Web site, igiveblood.com, as adequate, low and critical.
“It’s about education,” said Bertholf. “One pint of blood can save three people and we really need 350 units (pints) a day ... it really makes a difference.”
Blood Alliance recruiters keep in touch with individuals and businesses to schedule donations and blood drives, respectively, each day. Recruiters do have Bertholf optimistic about this holiday season, though, as the schedule until the end of the year is relatively full of local business participation. Still, if businesses were interested in having a mobile unit visit for a drive, she said The Blood Alliance would do whatever it could to meet the demand.
Local businesses get involved
When Robin Williams of Baptist Metro took on the task of becoming chair of The Blood Alliance more than a year ago, she didn’t know what she was getting into — but she’s glad she did.
“They really are fun and I consider it a privilege,” said Williams.
She organizes the blood drives, held every three months, for the 800-plus workers at Baptist Metro and reaches out to different surrounding businesses such as Wachovia, ACT Advanced Training and Downtown businesses for participation.
She takes it one step further, though.
Williams uses her own money to purchase gift cards to local restaurants for prize drawings during the drives for those who preregister, an incentive she said many actually look forward to when it’s time to give blood.
“I think it makes it a little more fun for everyone,” she said.
In addition, she helps people register and is aggressive when she notices regular donors haven’t preregistered for an upcoming drive.
“I track them down,” she joked.
Williams became a strong advocate for the drives when she started doing research on its importance and ever-growing need.
“I never knew,” she said, “but there’s no substitute for blood, you can’t manufacture it. It’s been said before, but donating really is giving the gift of life.”
Attorney Hamilton Traylor of Fisher Tousey knows, too.
He sits on the board of The Blood Alliance and chairs the firm’s blood drive every quarter (including the next one Monday), which also includes several other businesses in the Everbank building.
“It’s so easy for someone to take a few minutes to donate,” said Traylor. “You don’t have to write a check and what you give can actually save lives.”
Technology makes it easier, more efficient
Every unit (pint) is divided into three different usable parts — red blood cells, platelets and plasma — that can go toward helping three different people. At one point, donors gave whole blood and its parts were later divided, but it also meant donors couldn’t donate again for 56 days.
Now, specialized “Trima” machines at walk-in offices, as Helgren said, are able to pick and choose how much and what portion of blood is collected. It cuts down on the time for donors to come back to donate plasma and platelets — about two weeks between donations — but also leaves donors feeling more refreshed when they’re done as not as much is taken.
Trima machines are large and cumbersome, which made their availability and feasibility for mobile units low.
“We always thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have something for mobile units,’” said Helgren. “Now we do.”
The “ALYX” machines do the work of Trima machines but are smaller and portable and have led to a more effective donation process and greater results.
“They definitely help,” he said.
For more information on The Blood Alliance, including daily blood levels and locations, go to www.igiveblood.com.
356-2466