Red Cross sets blood collection drives

The American red Cross has scheduled five blood drives in Kilgore during June and July.

The Red Cross provides all the blood used at Laird Memorial Hospital here.

Wednesday, June 8, a blood drive will be held at Laird Memorial Hospital from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Carol Hinton is the contact person at (903)984-3505.

A second blood drive is scheduled at Kilgore City Hall, 815 N. Kilgore St., on Thursday, June 23 from 8 a.m. to noon. For information on this drive, contact Karen Custer at (903) 984-5081.

On Saturday, July 16, Boy Scout Troop 912 of Overton will have a blood drive. It will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Overton Missionary Baptist Church, 111 W. North St. Midori Duncan at (903) 895-9314 has information on this event.

A blood drive is scheduled in the Liberal Arts Building on the Kilgore College campus on Thursday, July 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Leah Gorman at (903)984-8581, ext. 521, is the contract for this event.

On Sunday, July 31, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. a blood drive will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Kilgore, 815 E. Main St. For information on this, contact Bobbie Wylie at (903) 984-7815 or 984-1502.

The American Red Cross will conduct its “Free gas for a year” promotion again this summer.

Beginning June 1 and continuing through Labor Day, anyone donating blood at a Red Cross center or blood drive will be automatically entered into a drawing for $1,500 in gasoline.

“Last summer the blood supply in our region remained very stable unlike previous years,” said Mike Clark, Red Cross Southwest Region CEO. “We think this promotion was part of that success. It is so important to have blood on the shelves when it’s needed for area patients that when we find something out donors enjoy, it’s worth repeating.”

Clark said people “tend to forget to add donating blood to their list of summer-time activities.”

He said blood is needed every two seconds by someone in the U.S.

“Because there is no substitute for blood, patients needing a transfusion are dependent on the goodwill of their neighbors to provide the life-saving gift.”

The Red Cross has changed its policy concerning eligibility of persons with tattoos. Now, persons will be eligible if tattoos are done within a state that regulates licensure of tattoo parlors, and by a parlor that has been inspected and certified.

Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas are among the states that regulate these facilities.

To donate blood, a person must be in good health, be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. A valid driver’s license or other forms of photo identification is required.

For more information, call 1-800- GIVE LIFE or 1-800-448-3543.