LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
January is National Blood Donor Month and the Lackland Blood Donor Center is marking the occasion with an open house Jan. 30.
Tracy Parmer, public affairs specialist for the Armed Services Blood Program, said the open house is a way for the blood donor center to repay those that donate blood.
"This is the month we just say, 'thank you,'" Mrs. Parmer said. "Thank you for giving, thank you for taking the time, thank you for setting up a drive."
The daylong celebration will include a barbeque lunch and a short recognition ceremony. There will also be a blood drive at the center from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mrs. Parmer expects a Web site to be up and running by the end of January for its new e-donor program. The site will allow online scheduling. After donating blood, donors can be notified via e-mail when they are eligible to donate again.
The blood donor center is one of 19 in the continental United States providing blood only for the military. The Lackland center is the top supplier of blood to Iraq and Afghanistan, and also supports Wilford Hall, the Veterans Administration hospital and Brooke Army Medical Center with blood products such as platelets and plasma.
"Platelets are really important," said Mrs. Parmer, who came to Lackland after four and a half years at the blood center in Okinawa. "They're only good for five days, and we need to get them on a regular basis."
Mrs. Parmer explained, "When you go to the hospital, you get what you need; you don't get whole blood. It can be platelets, plasma or red cells. Platelets last five days, red cells are good for 42 days and plasma, if frozen, can be stored for up to a year.
"I tell people how important it is to give blood, because by giving, you save somebody's life."