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Did you know that every minute of every day, someone needs blood, and that one in three Americans will need a blood transfusion in their lifetime? Hospitals like Brigham and Women’s rely on a supply of banked blood for transfusions and other medical procedures. Right now, that blood can only come from a volunteer who chooses to donate blood.
When someone makes a blood donation, they join a very select group. Currently only three out of every 100 people in America donate blood. A recently announced joint effort between the Friends of BWH and the Friends of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute aims to increase the number of people who choose to donate blood.
Both Friends organizations have pledged $1 million, $500,000 each, over the next five years to co-fund a bloodmobile initiative. The commitment is the largest gift to date by the Friends of BWH.
“Operating this bloodmobile will strengthen the capacity of our Blood Donor Center to deliver quality and cost-effective patient care by ensuring a continuous supply of all blood types,” said Amy Yunes, President of the Friends of BWH.
When the blood mobile begins running sometime next year, it will host blood drives throughout the state. The savings the extra blood will bring the hospital are substantial. Currently, BWH collects only 10 to 15 percent of the blood that it needs, leaving the hospital to purchase the remaining amount at a substantial cost.
The Friends of Brigham and Women’s Hospital has been the BWH auxiliary volunteer organization since 1980. Its active members, consisting of donors, patients, physicians, staff and friends, have given more than $8 million to approximately 250 hospital departments.