Stanford Blood Center Donors Can Now Use Points to Help Youngsters at Packard Children’s Hospital

2012
Attention News Desk: Press Release (for immediate release)
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dayna Kerecman Myers (202) 669-2921
daynam@stanford.edu,
Michele Hyndman (650) 799-9885
mhyndman@stanford.edu

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Blood Center now offers blood donors the opportunity to support local, hospitalized children and to improve transfusion medicine in Nigeria.

Every time a person gives blood, they earn points that can be redeemed in the center’s online store for thank-you gifts such as ice cream coupons, T-shirts and tote bags. Now, they may donate their points to buy gifts for patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford or supplies for the Safe Blood Africa project.

“Blood donors are, by nature, incredibly generous and altruistic. It is exciting that Stanford Blood Center donors now have the opportunity for their donations to do even more good,” said Michele Hyndman, center spokesperson.

The points donated to Packard Children’s patients will enable the center to provide toys and other gifts that will offer comfort to the youngsters undergoing treatment there. The blood center will coordinate directly with the hospital to determine the greatest needs for young patients and deliver the donated gifts four times per year.

“The blood donors at the Stanford Blood Center are amazing people,” said Colette Case, director of child and family life services at Packard Children’s. “It’s two gifts in one. Not only do donors give the gift of blood, but they also donate their points for toys for the sick children at the hospital.”

Donating points toward Safe Blood Africa means assistance for procuring items such as new donor beds. One of the organization’s goals is to recruit more voluntary blood donors; the use of paid blood donors could lead to greater transmission of such blood-borne diseases as hepatitis, malaria and HIV. Comfortable donor beds and other equipment could thus make a difference in attracting volunteer donors to give blood. The delivery of these items, as well as the training required for phlebotomy and blood storage, is being handled by employees from BloodSource in Sacramento and representatives from the Carmel Valley Rotary Club.

More information about donating points is available on the center’s website.

Donors should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They must eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification at the time of donation. The process takes about an hour. For more information or to schedule an appointment online, please call (888) 723-7831 or visit smstaging.stanford.edu/bloodcenter.

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The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. For information about all three, please visit http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.

Stanford Blood Center was created at the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1978 to meet the complex transfusion needs of Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, as well as provide tailored blood products and clinical trial services for school researchers. Today the center provides blood products to eight local hospitals and is a recognized leader in the field of transfusion medicine. More information is available at https://bloodcenter-stg.stanford.edu.