Give the "Gift of Life" by donating blood to Blood Assurance. O Negative blood at critically low levels, donate today and you can save a life!

Blood Assurance is in critical need of O negative blood donations. The regional blood center currently has less than one day’s supply of O negative blood.

Approximately 4 percent of the population has O negative blood, which is commonly referred to as the universal type of blood. It is used in emergency situations when the patient’s blood type is unknown.

Donors are urged to visit any location of Blood Assurance or donate at one of the bloodmobiles in the community. Blood Assurance has locations in Downtown Chattanooga, East Brainerd (Gunbarrel), Cleveland, Hixson (North River), inside Erlanger Hospital at the Baroness Campus, Cookeville, and Tullahoma, TN; Dalton, Fort Oglethorpe and Rome, GA; and in Fort Payne, AL.

Refrigerated red blood cells are stored for a maximum of 42 days, so the need for blood donors of all types is constant. Each day, 47 area healthcare facilities in 31 counties depend exclusively on Blood Assurance to supply blood products for patients in need.

All that is required for you to give blood is that in Tennessee and North Carolina, you be at least 17 years old. In Georgia and Alabama, 16 year olds can now donate with parental consent. You must also weigh a minimum of 110 lbs., and be in good general health. If you are taking certain medications or have had certain physical conditions, you may not be able to donate. For more information, call Blood Assurance.

The donation process involves five easy steps…

1. You must provide a valid form of identification (driver’s license, employee/student ID, Blood Assurance donor card, etc.), as well as your name, address, and telephone number. You will also be asked to read some information about AIDS which identifies people who should not give blood.
2. The next step is the medical interview; a series of questions about your general health, certain medical conditions, and any medicine you are currently taking or have been taking recently. By asking these questions, our staff will be able to determine if it is safe, not only for you to give blood, but for others to receive your blood.
3. Next, the professional staff will take your pulse, temperature, and blood pressure. A blood sample will be taken from the finger to check the hemoglobin (iron level). If everything checks out, you are ready to donate.
4. A staff member will gently cleanse and sterilize the arm before inserting a needle into the bend of the arm. The needle is sterile, used only once, and disposed of; therefore, you cannot get any disease or virus, including the HIV virus, by donating blood. While donating, you may feel a little discomfort, like a pinch, in the bend of the arm, but when the process is finished, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you gave someone the "Gift of Life".
5. After your donation, we encourage you to rest and enjoy a light refreshment. From the time the registration begins until you are ready to leave, the donation process should take less than 45 minutes.

You have just given a life-saving product. In the next several hours, your blood will be tested, typed and separated into various components. It is then distributed to hospitals to be transfused and may help as many as four patients.

For more information, please call (423) 756-0966 or (800) 962-0628 or visit www.bloodassurance.org.