Chandler ’19 Health Fair Hosting Carter BloodCare Drive to Maintain Summer Blood Supply

It's something we all know. We hear it regularly on television, and radio; blood supplies dwindle during the summer time. That's where Carter BloodCare comes in.

Blood is so important, as there is no substitute for it. Only another person can donate the blood that could save a patient’s life. Blood is not manufactured and must be available before it is required for a patient.

Chandler 2019 Health Fair will include a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, August 4 at 13942 TX-31 in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information or to schedule an appointment time, contact Georgia Right at (903) 849-2214.

About 37 percent of the population, at any given time, is eligible to donate blood. Yet, less than four percent of eligible donors in the Carter BloodCare service area gives blood. Approximately 600 to 800 patients daily require blood transfusions. Many of them will require more than one unit of blood and/or blood components. Carter BloodCare likes to see 1,000 donors each day to meet the daily demand. Summer is one of the most challenging times of year to do that.

Hospitals full of patients depend on blood donations – even while many healthy individuals enjoy summer fun. Blood donors help ensure chemotherapy patients receive platelets they require; red cells are available for heart surgery patients; and when a lifesaving donor organ arrives, blood is available to perform the operation.

Donors must remember to eat a nutritious meal and drink plenty of water one to two hours before giving blood. All donors must weigh at least 110 pounds, feel well on the day of donation, and present a government-issued photo ID each time they give blood.

Potential blood donors may volunteer beginning at age 16 with parental consent; 17-year-olds may give independently and there is no upper age limit for donating blood. For more information on donor eligibility and to make an appointment, call 1-800-366-2834 or visit them online here.