Rolling Up Their Sleeves to Help Houston Hospitals
Sen. Hutchison and Judge Eckels Call on Others to Give Blood

A group made up of national and local leaders recently led by example, when they visited the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to help restore the Houston blood supply that was depleted in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Allison in early June.

Among the donors were Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels.

"Government cannot solve the problem of a blood shortage - it takes citizens coming forward to help," said Sen. Hutchison. "Our hospitals are running on empty. Volunteers are needed to restock them."

In the three months since the storm, Texas Medical Center area hospitals have been brought back to full-capacity operation. And as operations and other medical procedures take place, the need for blood is critical. Also, when blood supplies were expended due to the storm, blood was shipped to Houston from many other states to aid those in need. Now Houston needs to make available that same option to these states should they need it, in return for their assistance.

Bill Teague, Blood Center president and CEO, said 700 donations are needed each day to keep Houston medical facilities up and running, however, this is the minimum needed and leaves virtually no surplus. There are 10 fixed donation sites throughout the city, as well as 25 mobile sites deployed each day.

"It takes about five to seven minutes to give slightly less than one pint of blood," said Teague. "Platelets can only be stored for five days and red blood cells can be stored for up to 42 days. I am very proud of these people for leading by example and demonstrating that giving blood is easy and saves lives."

The day of the event also coincided with Judge Eckels' daughter's first day of kindergarten, and as a regular giver, he still made time to stop at the Blood Center.

"This is a fine example of the dedication and service of these folks as they take time from their busy schedules to give blood and support the recovery efforts of the Texas Medical Center institutions following Tropical Storm Allison," said Dr. Richard E. Wainerdi, Texas Medical Center president and CEO. "Blood is of paramount importance to the daily work of the Texas Medical Center institutions."

Others participating in the event included Greg Bernica, Harris County Medical Society executive vice president; James Eastham, Memorial Hermann Hospital senior vice president and CEO; and Dr. Beth Hartwell, Memorial Hermann Hospital laboratory medical director.

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center headquarters are located in the Reliant Astrodome area at 1400 La Concha Ln. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (713) 791-6620 for more information.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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