August 25, 2000

Preparations now are under way for the MGH/BWH employee blood donor challenge to take place Aug. 28 through Sept. 15.

The goal of this challenge is to encourage employees at both hospitals to help the MGH and BWH Blood Donor centers meet the blood needs of patients during the long Labor Day holiday weekend when donations are traditionally low.

All employees who give blood during the two-week contest will receive an MGH/BWH Employee Blood Drive Challenge T-shirt as a special thank you for donating. A plaque also will be given to the winning donor center. The ultimate winners, of course, will be patients at both hospitals.

This contest comes at a particularly crucial time as Massachusetts' blood supplies are running dangerously low, according to reports released earlier this month. In fact, the American Red Cross and other health care organizations issued a public plea for more blood donations to avoid delays in elective surgeries at some local hospitals.

"The summer months usually are a more difficult time to get blood donations because regular donors go on vacation," says Joyce Foley, of the MGH Blood Donor Center. "Blood supplies all over the state and across the country are decreasing. That's why we have to be more creative to increase our donations."

For more information about the employee blood donor challenge, call the MGH Blood Donor Center at 726-8171.

From left, Joyce Foley and Mary Caporale, RN, of the MGH Blood Donor Center, show off the Employee Blood Drive Challenge T-shirt that will be given to all employees who donate during the contest.