Lifeline Blood Services will be returning to UT Martin this February, and they are in desperate need of blood donations.
According to Tammy Hurst, Community Service Coordinator for Lifeline, all blood types are needed, but especially O negative, A negative and B positive blood types. The dates that Lifeline will be at UTM are Tuesday, Feb. 3 and Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the U.C.
The need is especially great right now, Hurst said, because patients are using blood at a rapid rate and Lifeline could really use student help.
Lifeline Blood comes to campus in February, April, July, September and November. At the last blood drive, Hurst mentioned that the timing of these visits was selected to match with the organization’s guidelines regarding duration between blood donations.
“You can give blood every 56 days,” she said. “Every time we come back here, you are eligible to give blood.” Therefore, even if UTM students gave blood at the last blood drive in November, they are still eligible to give blood at this blood drive.
This fall alone, UTM students donated a total of 565 gallons of blood. Roughly 25 percent of all donated blood received by Lifeline is donated by UTM students.
Lifeline serves 19 hospitals across West Tennessee. If the blood someone donates ends up getting used, Lifeline will send the person an email telling him or her the location of where the blood was used.
