Press release from The Blood Connection:
The Blood Connection has opened a new blood donation center at 225 Airport Road in Arden, NC–approximately 10 miles south of Asheville. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 4 pm this Thursday, August 23. The public is invited to attend TBC’s grand opening, for food and giveaways, and to celebrate life by making a blood donation.
“Saving a life has never been easier,” said TBC President and CEO Delisa K. English. “Donors will now be able to give more frequently because of the location and they’ll find the new center a warm and welcoming space to donate, while listening to music or watching a movie. “Until now, many have had to donate on our blood mobiles, or perhaps drive to our Hendersonville Donation Center.”
TBC’s newest fixed donation site represents another milestone for North Carolina. TBC first began supplying blood products to North Carolina in 2011, and in 2014, the Hendersonville Donation Center opened in Henderson County. While continuing to serve communities in Western NC, the regional blood bank based in Greenville, SC, expanded services last year to include Wake, Durham and Orange Counties, and last month, opened a Raleigh donation center. TBC’s newest donation center in Arden will expand its ability to collect and distribute lifesaving blood products in Western NC, giving Asheville residents an option closer to home.
Donating blood is a simple way to help someone in need says English. “Blood is a lifeline during an emergency and so important for patients who need long-term treatments, and many of us know someone who will need it during our lifetime. When a Mission Health patient receives a blood transfusion, this blood comes from The Blood Connection. Therefore, local blood donations truly make a difference to our friends and neighbors in the local community.”
The Blood Connection provides blood products to more than 40 hospitals in SC, GA, and NC, and blood is urgently needed every day. But only about five percent of the eligible population donates. Surgery patients, accident victims, patients with cancer and newborn babies all count on the local blood supply. TBC’s Arden Donation Center is asking the community to help it meet the daily needs of hospitals by coming in to donate blood. All blood donations are needed, especially platelet donations.
Donors can schedule an appointment by visiting www.thebloodconnection.org, or by calling 828-585-8060. The Arden Donation Center is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. To reduce donation time, donors can also use TBC Express to complete an online health history questionnaire in advance: https://thebloodconnection.org/idhq/.
Every day, accident victims, patients with cancer, blood disorders, sickle cell disease and other illnesses need lifesaving transfusions. TBC’s mission is to ensure all hospital partners have the blood supplies needed for patients at any given time. Blood donors must be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be 17 years old or 16 with written parental consent. TBC encourages both whole blood and platelet donations.
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