Employees give gifts from the heart

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. About 80 percent of the blood donations received by the American Red Cross are collected at mobile blood drives like the ones held at various LG&E and KU facilities each year. In 2015, nearly 30 drives were held at company facilities, generating 845 units of blood. Each unit of donated blood can save up to three lives.

The need is great, but the giving spirit among our employees and contractors is even greater," said Doug Chin, manager of Generation Safety. "Nationally, 41,000 units of blood are needed each and every day, and the Red Cross provides about 40 percent of that. The vast majority of donations the Red Cross receives — 80 percent, in fact — comes from blood drives like ours. The remaining 20 percent is donated at Red Cross donation centers.”

Although an estimated 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, less than 10 percent actually donate each year. The American Red Cross works with 50,000 sponsors — like LG&E and KU — to coordinate 200,000 blood drives each year in an effort to make it convenient for people to donate.

“I want to thank those who take the time out of their busy schedules to donate at our drives," said Chin. "And I want to offer a special thanks to the blood drive coordinators who schedule, communicate and set up the drives at each facility. Blood cannot be manufactured. It can only come from generous donors, like those who visit our blood drives.”

The number one reason most donors cite when asked why they give blood is: "I want to help someone who needs it." However, the time it takes to complete the blood donation process is one deterrent for many who do not give. A new Red Cross tool — RapidPass — allows blood donors to complete the pre-reading and donation questions online, reducing the amount of time spent at the drive by up to 15 minutes. RapidPass can only be completed the day of the blood drive, and donors must bring the printed pass with them or show it on a mobile device at the drive.

For more information about blood donation, including tips for a successful donation and details about RapidPass, visit the American Red Cross website.