Follow Your Instinct! Give Blood at NFEC for National Blood Donor Month on January 30

January 16, 2020 ─ January is National Blood Donor Month, and the perfect time to make a resolution to save local lives. 

Oklahoma Blood Institute encourages healthy adults to “follow their instinct,” and set aside about an hour from their busy schedules to donate blood.*

Oklahoma Blood Institute will hold a blood drive with Northfork Electric Cooperative on Thursday, 1/30/2020, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Look for the Bloodmobile at 18920 East 1170 Road, Sayre, OK 73662.  Each blood donor will receive a free, limited edition, long-sleeved t-shirt. 

“Some of our friends and neighbors are facing another year of difficult and life-threatening health challenges,” said John Armitage, M.D., president and CEO of Texas Blood Institute. “We invite you to make a resolution in 2020 to give blood or platelets on a regular basis to ensure that the right blood is available for patients at the right time.” 

Blood recipients have the opportunity to send a message of appreciation to their individual blood donor, anonymously, through Oklahoma Blood Institute’s Thank the Donor™ program.

Every two seconds, someone needs blood, and the supply must be constantly renewed. One blood donation can save up to three patients’ lives. If donors opt not to take the t-shirt, Oklahoma Blood Institute will make a monetary donation to Global Blood Fund for blood center assistance in developing countries.

As the nation’s 6th largest non-profit blood collector, Oklahoma Blood Institute’s donors provide every drop of blood needed for patients in more than 160 hospitals statewide. 

It takes nearly 1,200 donors a day to meet those needs. Appointments to give blood are not required but can be made by calling Oklahoma Blood Institute at 877-340-8777 or visiting obi.org.

*16-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds and provide signed parental permission; 17-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds; 18+ year olds must weigh at least 110 pounds.