The Oklahoma Blood Institute is finding new ways to attract first time blood donors and continued support from regular donors during the early months of the year.
Beginning Feb. 1, OBI is challenging people to come in and donate blood in order to help meet the rapidly growing need of blood from hospitals all across Oklahoma.
Blood donor challenge at Oklahoma Blood Institute. Join the movement!
Posted by KJRH on Monday, February 1, 2016
The blood donated over the course of nearly four months will help around 90 percent of hospitals in the state.
J. Gibson, 78, has been donating blood for 60 years and says he understands the importance of what a single donation can mean to help people in need.
“Many times giving platelets can help save a life, if not it can help somebody recover from an accident or something. I just enjoy helping other people in many ways and this is one way that I can do it,” Gibson said
OBI estimates they need 1,000 blood donors every day of the year just to maintain a sufficient amount of blood for over 300 hospitals in Oklahoma.
OBI Executive Director, Jan Laub, says it can be a struggle during the early months of the year to get people in the door and donate, however events like the Blood Donor Challenge keep people informed and aware of the need for blood.
“We're coming off kind of the holidays and that time of the year which is a really slow time of the year for us to get donors in, again because they are so busy they just don't think about it. With this we're trying to remind people we are here, we need to keep the blood supply going.”
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