KENT COUNTY, MI (September 13, 2007):  The opportunity to donate blood is being brought closer to home for residents of Wyoming and Cascade this month, with the opening of two new Community Donor Centers by Michigan Community Blood Centers, the blood provider for local hospitals.

The Wyoming Community Donor Center will open on Friday, September 21, at the Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th Street SW, Wyoming, with blood donors welcome in the Council Chambers from Noon to 7 p.m. To celebrate the site’s grand opening, grilled hotdogs will be served to donors, and everyone who tries to donate will receive a special T-shirt. Following the grand opening, the Wyoming Community Donor Center will welcome donors from Noon to 7 p.m. on the third Friday every other month, making the next donation date November 16.

The Cascade Community Donor Center will open on Monday, September 24, at the Kent District Library Cascade Branch, 2870 Jacksmith Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, with blood donors welcome in the Wisner Center/Friends Room from Noon to 7 p.m. Grilled hotdogs will be served to donors, and everyone who tries to donate will receive a special T-shirt. The Cascade Community Donor Center will be open regularly on the fourth Monday every other month (except May 2008), making the next donation date November 26.

Any healthy person 17 or older who weighs 110 pounds or more may be eligible to give blood every 56 days.
According to Kristen Sisson, Special Events coordinator for Michigan Community Blood Centers in West Michigan, the availability of community donor centers such as the sites in Wyoming and Cascade will encourage more people to give blood regularly.
“As the need for blood continues to increase,” Sisson said, “the need for blood donors increases proportionately. It’s more important than ever to provide convenient, easily accessible locations where people can make a habit of donating blood at 56-day intervals.” Two months (56 days) is the interval between whole-blood donations required by the federal Food and Drug Administration, which regulates all blood banks in the US.
Michigan Community Blood Centers is the independent nonprofit blood bank that provides 100 percent of the regular blood supply for hospitals in four major regions of the state with a combined population of more than 1. 5 million, including all the hospitals in Kent County.

© Michigan Community Blood Centers