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1-800-223-6667 |
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Proud to serve as the only blood supplier to your community hospitals. Serving Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Lehigh, Luzerne, Montgomery, |
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Facts about Blood and Blood DonationWhere you give blood does make a difference. MKBC is the only blood supplier to 24 hospitals in our region. No other blood organization supplies these hospitals, and only blood donated through MKBC is transfused at these facilities. MKBC is affiliated with America's Blood Centers, a national network of independent, not-for-profit community blood centeres that collects approximately 60% of blood products donated in the United States. Approximately 450 units of blood are needed every day in the 11 counties served by Miller-Keystone Blood Center. Approximately 43,000 units of blood are used each day in the United States. Every 2 seconds, someone in the United States requires a blood transfusion. The gift of blood is the gift of life. There is no substitute for human blood. 4.8 million Americans would die each year without life saving blood transfusions. Statistics show that 25% or more of us will require blood at least once in our lifetime. As stipulated by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates all US blood banks, blood or plasma from people who have been paid to donate cannot be used for transfusion to humans in the US. Much of today's medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from healthy donors. People donate blood out of a sense of duty and community spirit, not to make money. Each year, approximately 17 million units of blood are donated by volunteers. These donations are processed into about 30 million blood components, which are transfused into approximately 5 million patients a year. 17% of people who don't give blood cite "never thought about it" as the main reason for not donating, while 15% say they're "too busy." America's independent community blood centers collect, test, process and deliver about half (60%) of the U.S. blood supply to hospitals nationwide. Corporate blood drives are a vital source of volunteer blood donations. Corporations sponsor blood drives as a service to their communities and employees. One out of every 7 people entering a hospital needs blood. Every two seconds someone needs blood, and approximately every 10 seconds, someone in the United States is receiving a blood transfusion. Approximately 3 gallons of blood supports the entire nation's blood needs for one minute. Females receive 53% of blood transfused; males receive 47%. 40% of the US population is eligible to donate - only 5% do on a yearly basis. People older than 65 use 43 percent of all donated blood. The demand for blood will increase as the population ages. If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood. There are four main blood types: A, B, AB and O. The rarest blood type is the one not on the shelf at the moment a patient needs it. Red blood cells can be stored for up to 42 days, while platelets can only be stored for up to five (5) days. Blood centers often run short of type O and B blood, and shortages of all types of blood occur during the summer and winter holidays. If all blood donors gave at least twice a year, it would help prevent blood shortages. Anyone who is in good health, is 17 years of age or older, and weighs 110 pounds or more, may donate whole blood every 56 days. Plasma can be donated every four weeks, and platelets up to 24 times per year. Blood is safer today than it has ever been before. Blood centers follow five layers of safety procedures blood donor eligibility standards, individual screening, laboratory testing, confidential exclusion of donations, and donor record checks. Blood centers also work closely with government agencies and other entities to enhance blood donor screening practices, increase disease testing, improve computer tracking systems, and ensure good manufacturing practices. You cannot get AIDS or any other blood disease by donating blood. Approximately 12 tests are performed on every unit of donated blood, many of which are for infectious diseases, including hepatitis (a liver infection); HIV (the virus that causes AIDS); HTLV-I (a virus associated with a rare form of leukemia) and HTLV-II; syphilis and WNV (West Nile Virus). Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease that affects more than 80,000 people in the United States, 98 percent of whom are of African descent. Some patients with complications from severe sickle cell disease receive blood transfusions every month. Anemic patients often need blood transfusions to increase red blood cell levels. One blood donation can save as many as four lives. One unit of blood can be separated into several components, including red blood cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissue. Platelets are small blood cells that initiate blood clotting, controlling bleeding. Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, salts and proteins, including solvable clotting factors; plasma is 90 percent water and constitutes 55 percent of blood volume. Cryoprecipitate is a frozen blood product prepared from plasma. Every two seconds, someone needs blood. Blood fights against infection and helps heal wounds, keeping you healthy. Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their iron levels. Cancer, transplant and trauma patients and patients undergoing open-heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive. People who have been in car accidents and suffered massive blood loss can need transfusions of 50 units or more of red blood cells. The average bone marrow transplant requires 120 units of platelets and about 20 units of red blood cells. Severe burn victims can need 20 units of platelets during their treatment. Children being treated for cancer, premature infants, and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types. Apheresis (ay-fur-ee-sis) is a special kind of blood donation that allows a donor to give specific blood components, such as platelets. Platelets must be used within five days of collection, hence blood donations are especially needed around 3-day weekends. Red blood cells must be used within 42 days. Plasma can be frozen and used for up to a year. A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his or her body. Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body's weight, and the average adult has 10 pints of blood in his or her body. Since a pint is pound, you lose a pound every time you donate blood. In the days following the September 11 attacks, a half a million people donated blood. What Type Are You? Frequency of Blood Types
Examples of Blood Use
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Miller-Keystone Blood Center is an independant, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as the only supplier of blood products to 24 hospitals in Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Lehigh, Luzerne, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill (PA) and Warren (NJ) counties. Established in 1971, Miller-Keystone Blood Center is an affiliate of Hospital Central Services, Inc. |
