HMC helping to save lives with Community Blood Drive

HARLINGEN – Imagine helping to save the life of a total stranger without even being present when it happens. Imagine being called a hero. You can make that happen. All you have to do is sit back and donate blood.

Harlingen Medical Center is giving Rio Grande Valley residents the chance to take-on that honor when it hosts a Community Blood Drive in partnership with United Blood Services (UBS), Wednesday, March 16, 2016, at its Main Lobby, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The blood drive is open to the public.

According to statistics, someone in the United States is in need of blood for an emergency situation every two seconds.

So, it is important for Valley residents to do their part and give the gift of life, right here, in their own communities.

Donating blood is a simple and painless process that saves more than four million lives each year, in the U.S. alone.

Harlingen Medical Center is committed to supporting the well-being of the people it serves and therefore proudly collaborates with United Blood Services on a regular basis to host blood drives.

“Harlingen Medical Center strives to be the provider of choice for the healthcare services it offers and to promote health and wellness to the people it serves,” said Manny Chacon, Business Development and Marketing Director at Harlingen Medical Center. “Hosting this community blood drive is one way we fulfill our commitment to the communities we serve.”

Across the Valley there is a continued need for blood donations as it serves the various needs of Valley patients at the various hospitals.

Factors that tend to affect blood shortages include the fact that a blood donation must be used within 42-days after it is donated; patients that are going through life-saving treatments such as chemotherapy need it; and patients who have been transported to an Emergency Room with trauma injuries may will require life-saving blood.

United Blood Services reminds all potential donors that they must be at least 18-years of age, weigh at least 110-pounds, eat before making a donation, be in good health, and provide proper identification at the time of registration. According to United Blood Services, blood can be donated every three months.