The Need for Blood There is an immediate need for most blood types. Please donate to help patients in our community!
Blood must be available when needed for patients whose lives depend on it. More than 200 blood and platelet donations are needed every day, year-round, by patients at the 15 hospitals served by Inova Blood Donor Services. Blood and platelets help many people, including trauma patients, surgery patients, newborn babies, cancer patients and transplant patients.
Although 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate, less that five percent actually donates. More donors are urgently needed every day, seven days a week, to save lives. All healthy eligible people are encouraged to donate.
To schedule an appointment to donate or for more information, please call 1-866-BloodSaves (866-256-6372) or request an appointment online.
Inova Blood Donor Services collects blood at blood drives and five donor centers: Dulles Town Center Donor Center in Sterling, Woodburn Medical Park Donor Center; CentreMed Donor Center in Centreville, Inova Alexandria Hospital Donor Center and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Donor Center.
You can make a difference...
Dear Blood Donors,
Hi, my name is Chassity and I'm 16 years old. I have been diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer called Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. I will continue to receive chemotherapy every three weeks until another treatment becomes available. The chemotherapy can drop your blood counts. Since an unsuccessful stem cell transplant last summer, I have been platelet dependent. I just can't keep them above 30,000 (the normal range is 150,000-500,000). On average, I receive about 2-4 units of platelets, as well as red blood cells, each week. Without them, I would be pretty lethargic, and at risk of bleeding internally if I'm not very careful. As you can see, it's very crucial for people with cancer, blood disorders, or injuries to get these products to stay alive.
Get everyone you know to donate blood and platelets or there might be more days where I am sent home with very low counts because of the shortage in products at the blood bank. Please continue to donate and give many more people the chance to stay alive.
Thank you, Chassity
RBC Inventory Status (updated 7/03/08)