‘Help Our Holidays’ Blood Drive on Dec. 21 Aims to Boost Blood Supply at Critical Time
WHAT: Rex Blood Services will hold a “Help Our Holidays” blood drive on Monday, Dec. 21, to encourage people to donate at a critical time of year. Donors will receive free food provided by local restaurants all day and a free holiday ornament (Rex Blood gives out about 1,500 ornaments every holiday season; see attached photo of this year’s ornament).
WHY: Blood supplies traditionally decline during the winter months. Regular donors are often busy with holidays, family and travel. Flu and other seasonal illnesses limit donations. At the same time, the need remains high. “Patients who receive regular transfusions to help their immune systems fight chronic illnesses or cancer don’t get a break for the holidays,” said Emilie Sanders Watson, a donor recruitment coordinator with Rex Blood Services. “We want donors to remember families with loved ones in the hospital who need the gift of life.”
WHEN: Monday, Dec. 21, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Rex Donor Center, 2709 Blue Ridge Road, Suite 150, Raleigh
DONOR INFORMATION: To sign up for the “Help Our Holidays” blood drive, call (919) 784-4750, or email rblood@unchealth.unc.edu.
MEDIA NOTE: For more information, to arrange interviews or media assistance on the day of the blood drive, contact Alan Wolf at alan.wolf@unchealth.unc.edu or (919) 218-7103.
About UNC REX Healthcare
UNC REX Healthcare, a member of UNC Health Care, is a private, not-for-profit health care system with more than 5,400 co-workers. UNC REX has 660 beds (433 general acute beds and 227 skilled nursing) and treats nearly 34,000 inpatients each year. UNC REX offers dedicated centers for cancer, surgery, heart and vascular, post-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, wellness and women’s care plus dedicated services for bariatric, heartburn, pain management, sleep disorders, diabetes education, wound and emergency care. UNC REX’s medical staff includes more than 1,100 physicians and 1,700 nurses. UNC REX provides various health care services throughout Wake County with facilities in Apex, Cary, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Wakefield and downtown Raleigh. UNC REX was the first hospital in the Triangle to receive Magnet Recognition, placing UNC REX nurses among the top 6 percent in the nation. UNC REX was named one of the top 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine, highlighted as one of the Top 50 Hospitals in the U.S. by Becker’s Hospital Review, and included by the Leapfrog Group on its 2015 Top Hospitals list. Visit rexhealth.com for more information.
# # #
