Holy Family Hospital, Methuen and Haverhill, has put out a call for “eligible” donors of “all types of blood” to address a “critically low inventory” at its Methuen-based blood bank.
During summer months there is often a shortage of blood across the nation, and this year is no exception, said Holy Family Marketing and Communications Director Jean P. MacDougall-Tattan. She notes with the hospital’s FDA–approved blood donor program, there is “no need to wait for a blood drive. People can make an appointment to donate on a day and time convenient for them.” The blood donor room is located in room G47, ground floor, at Holy Family Hospital, 70 East St., Methuen.
“The entire visit, including paperwork, lasts less than an hour. The donation procedure itself lasts only 10 to 25 minutes,” MacDougall-Tattan said. “Blood donations are used to help patients with cancer and other life-threatening diseases, blood disorders, organ transplants and trauma.”
All of the blood collected stays at the hospital to help local residents, she added. Holy Family Hospital’s Blood Donor Program also provides therapeutic phlebotomy opportunities for patients with hereditary hemochromatosis, an inherited disorder characterized by an excess accumulation of iron in the body, and for patients on testosterone therapy.
“According to America’s Blood Center and the American Red Cross, every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood and patients depend on the generosity of blood donors to meet that need,” MacDougall-Tattan said.
Hours of operation are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and special parking is provided.
To make an appointment, or for more information, contact the Blood Bank at (978) 687-0156 ext. 2453.