Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) supplies all 19 hospitals in the Delmarva Peninsula with the blood products they need, and those same hospitals hold blood drives to support this symbiotic relationship.
The month of May featured two, excellent blood drives with hospital partners, including the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware Blood Drive held Wednesday, May 1 and the Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus Blood Drive held Tuesday, May 14.
Nemours booked 49 appointments to begin the month, and it drew Nemours employees from various departments for this draw. In all, the blood drive successfully collected 42 units of blood according to BBD Account Manager Gia Rivera.
BBD Supervisor, Collections, Daisy Tannen, who was recently released from supervisor training, led a capable crew on the M1 Bloodmobile parked in front of the main entrance to Nemours.
Among those donating were Nemours associates Doré Crawford, Dr. Katie Salamon (PhD), Kate Tullis, Mike Abernathy, Nicole DiVirgilio, Nick Romano, and Danielle Morley. They came from departments that ranged from Facilities to Primary Care. Nemours associates noted that a blood drive at work made donating very convenient.
“Every time I see you guys coming around, I sign up,” said Crawford, a cardiovascular tech. “I think it’s important. I get to help the kids or anybody, really.”
It was a similar story of success at Bayhealth, as 39 of 40 appointments were filled by the Bayhealth Blood Drive Committee. BBD Supervisor, Collections Jesse Latham led the hardworking crew in Sussex County.
In all, the Bayhealth blood drive collected about 30 units of blood, according to BBD Account Manager Ralph Groves.
“As the largest health system in Kent and Sussex counties, Bayhealth relies on blood products from Blood Bank of Delmarva to save lives every single day. Knowing this, the Bayhealth Blood Drive Committee started hosting on-campus blood drives years ago to make it convenient for our team members to donate and to educate them on the importance of giving back in this way,” said Jonathan Judy, Lead Human Resources Recruiter, on behalf of the Bayhealth Blood Drive Committee. “We are so proud to have fully booked our schedules for both of our spring drives, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the great team at BBD in their life-saving work.”
