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12.01.2011 Presbyterian, Red Cross Team up for “The 12 Days of Giving”
Replace the stress and hustle and bustle this holiday season with the hope and inspiration of the “12 Days of Giving.” Come out to donate blood or platelets at the Charlotte or Huntersville Red Cross Donor Centers from December 4 – 15, 2011 and put a smile on the face of a sick child at the same time. Also, learn the many ways blood has helped save lives through the stories of real local patients.
Blood donors are asked to bring a new and unwrapped toy and sign a “Thinking of You” card. The toys and cards, along with 35 Lalaloopsy™ Dolls donated by the Red Cross, will be delivered to Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital on December 15. Red Cross employees and volunteers will help distribute the toys and provide holiday cheer to the children.
“Not just at the holidays but every day patients at our hospital rely on blood and platelet donations to live,” said Pat Campbell, vice president, Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital. “On behalf of our patients and families, we’re so grateful for the work the Red Cross does to ensure we have the blood and platelet resources we need to give the most precious gift of all – the gift of life.”
In addition, Presbyterian patients—who are also Red Cross blood recipients—will be on hand at the donor centers to share their real experiences during the 12 Days of Giving, so donors can see firsthand some of the many ways their blood can help save lives.
“We couldn’t be more grateful of our lifesaving partnership with Presbyterian Hospital throughout the year, and the holidays are a special time to highlight how local patients’ lives have been saved through blood donation and the wonderful hospital care at Presbyterian,” said Joyce Brendel, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Carolinas Blood Services Region. “We hope our blood donors will continue to be inspired to give so generously of themselves.”
The Red Cross Carolinas Blood Services Region provides lifesaving blood to 103 hospitals and must have 1,600 people give blood and platelets each weekday to meet hospital demand. Accident victims as well as patients with cancer, sickle cell disease, blood disorders and other illnesses receive lifesaving transfusions every day. There is no substitute for blood and volunteer donors are the only source.
Blood can be safely donated every 56 days. Platelets can be safely given every two weeks, up to 24 times a year. Most healthy people age 17 and older, 16 with parental consent, who weigh at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood and platelets. Donors who are 18 and younger must also meet specific height and weight requirements.
To schedule your lifesaving appointment, please call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.
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About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
About Presbyterian Healthcare:
Presbyterian Healthcare is affiliated with Novant Health, a not-for-profit healthcare system caring for patients in North and South Carolina and Virginia. Presbyterian is made up of physician clinics and five hospitals: Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews, Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville, Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital and Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital. The hospital system is recognized as a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular, cancer, orthopaedic, stroke and women’s health conditions. Presbyterian Hospitals achieved national nursing magnet status, a designation that only five percent of all hospitals nationwide have earned based on nursing care quality. Novant Health and Presbyterian have been named winners of the national Codman Award, presented by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, for excellence in improving the quality and safety of health care. Additionally, Novant Health is ranked 14th nationally among the 2011 Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks.