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NewsOct | 21 | 2020
Members of Mass General's Buildings and Grounds are some of the Blood Donor Center’s most regular donors, giving both whole blood and platelets nearly every time they are eligible. This week, National Healthcare Facilities/Maintenance/Engineering Week, we thank all member of Buildings and Grounds, who not only provide critical life-saving donations, but who provide critical maintenance services to Mass General's main campus and satellite locations around the clock.
The need for blood at Massachusetts General Hospital locations continues to be urgent.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mass General Blood Donor Center was forced to cancel many of its regularly scheduled bloodmobile drives, as most offices and businesses across the state were closed. Two off-campus hospital locations, however, stepped up early—and continue to support frequent blood drives—by hosting the Mass General Blood Donor Center bloodmobiles. These locations are Mass General Brigham Assembly Row and Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care in Danvers.
“Both MGH Danvers and Assembly Row have been very supportive and have run drives with us since April,” says Kim Cronin, manager of Mass General's Blood Donor Services. “They were the first two sites to offer locations and support of the bloodmobile. They have each run blood drives every month since then and have committed to continue doing so through spring.”
These locations offer community members an easy option to do so.
“The Danvers community and staff of the Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care have been happy to serve as consistent blood donors to help our patients,” says Elena Sierra, executive director of MGH Danvers, who credits much of their drives’ success to the hard work and dedication of her executive assistant, Kelly Morley. “Kelly is a big reason why our drives have been so successful. She spends a lot of time reaching out to staff and to the community to fill all the blood donation appointments.”
To schedule an appointment to donate blood or platelets, visit massgeneral.org/blood-donor and click “Find a Blood Drive” to view all mobile drive dates and locations, or click on the “Schedule an appointment” button for available appointments at the hospital’s Blood Donor Center. Due to the ongoing need for physical distancing, appointments are required at all blood drives and in the Donor Center.
Upcoming mobile drives at MGH Danvers and Assembly Row are scheduled for:
“‘In times of distress, every man becomes our neighbor,’” says Cronin, citing the well-known Mass General motto. “These locations and the staff who work there truly reached out and made it possible for more people to step up and help ensure an adequate blood supply is available."