Van donated for mobile blood drives
(CNS Local Life): The Cayman Islands Blood Bank received its first dedicated van on Wednesday, 7 August, which will improve safety and ease the transport of essential equipment and materials for mobile blood drives. Hurley’s Media and Car City, in partnership with the Health Services Authority (HSA) and the Blood Bank, presented the van.
“Having a vehicle that is readily available and used exclusively to facilitate the collection of blood is a major milestone for the Blood Bank,” said the unit’s manager, Judith Clarke, in a press release. “As requests for mobile blood drives increase, this contribution will make a significant difference in how efficiently the blood drive process flows.”
Over the years, with the increase of medical operations performed locally, such as cardiac surgeries, there is a greater demand for blood, the HSA said in the release. The Blood Bank will use the van for all mobile blood drives. Each of the van’s corporate sponsors will host a public blood drive over the next 12 months in hopes of increasing the current donor pool from 2.5% to 5% of the population to meet the growing needs of Cayman.
Members of the public will be able to track the van’s blood drive-related activities on the Blood Bank website through a feature that will indicate when the van is being used and pinpoint its exact location. This information will give members of the community an opportunity to drop by those blood drives open to the public and donate on the spot.
“We are grateful to all the sponsors for making a difference in our community by playing their part in saving lives,” said Clarke. “Community efforts such as that displayed by Hurley’s Media and Car City are crucial to achieving and maintaining an adequate level of blood on the island at any given time. We are fortunate to have such tremendous support.”
The Blood Bank van is the second initiative from the two companies, after hosting Cayman’s first-ever mobile blood drive at Car City in March last year, which resulted in widespread interest from other companies on island.
“I would like to thank everyone involved, especially the staff at the Blood Bank. Without their hard work, none of this would be possible,” said Car City sales manager Taylor Foster. “It is truly amazing what we can do, the problems we can solve and goals we can accomplish when we all work together as a community. This is an ongoing partnership and together, with this new van, we can make a big difference.”
Eric Vincent, sales representative at Hurley’s Media, added, “We are extremely proud of the support we have received for this project from everyone involved. Cayman has always come together when it comes to helping the community. The generosity of the sponsors for this project, the team at Car City, and all those working behind the scenes are perfect examples of that sense of community.
“We are looking forward to continuing to raise awareness for the Blood Bank and working with them for years to come.”
Corporate sponsors of the van include CIBC First Caribbean, Cayman First Insurance, Island Heritage, SALT Technology Group and Elite Marble & Granite. Community sponsors are BAF Insurance Company and Health Care Pharmacy.
To register to be a blood donor, determine eligibility or book an appointment, go to the Blood Bank website. The unit, on the second floor of the Cayman Islands Hospital, also accepts walk-ins. Opening hours are Monday-Friday, 7am-6:30pm and Saturday, 9am-5pm.
Category: Community, Local News, Medical and Health
