SUMMIT CELEBRATES MARCH AS AMERICAN RED CROSS MONTH

March 2, 2009 - March is proclaimed Red Cross Month. It’s a proclamation given by U.S. Presidents since World War II and the days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Throughout the month of March, 750 Red Cross chapters across the country will celebrate in a variety of ways, including holding special events, volunteer training or fundraisers to give people an opportunity to support the organization through donations of time, money or blood.

“One way of celebrating is to continue the mission by donating a unit of blood at a Red Cross donor center or neighborhood blood drive,” said Steve Beeler, CEO, Tennessee Valley Blood Services Region.  “A single donation, which actually takes only a few minutes, can help save the lives of three individuals.”

Each year the Red Cross collects approximately 6.5 million units of blood from roughly 4.5 million volunteer blood donors. From these donations, the Red Cross distributes around 9.5 million blood products to patients at approximately 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country.

Daniel Stockton, Healthcare Representative at the American Red Cross states, “We couldn’t do it without the help of our dedicated volunteers at Summit Medical Center. These folks work with the Red Cross to organize blood drives and recruit hospital staff to donate blood.”

You can join the celebration by giving blood on Tuesday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Summit Medical Center located at 5655 Frist Blvd. in Hermitage.

During March and April everyone who presents to donate at a Red Cross blood center or blood drive will receive an American Red Cross life-saving team baseball hat, while supplies last.

Individuals 17 years of age and older (6 with a completed Parental Consent Form), weighing at least 110 pounds and in general good health, may be eligible to donate blood. The entire process – from check-in to refreshment time after donation – normally takes about an hour.

To schedule an appointment, or for more information, donors should call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543) or visit www.bloodisneeded.org. Donors are reminded to bring a photo ID.

Summit Medical Center is a 188-bed regional medical center serving the residents of Davidson, Wilson and surrounding counties. Summit offers a full range of services including emergency, medical, surgical, obstetric, oncology, psychiatric and diagnostic services. The hospital also offers the latest advances in imaging services, including the area’s first hospital based 64-slice CT scanner. For more information, call TriStar MedLine at 615-342-1919 or 800-242-5662.