UNC Hospitals begins blood platelet collections at second location; need for donors urgent
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNC Hospitals will begin collecting blood platelets at a second location on Monday, March 10, and there is an urgent need for donors.
March 5, 2003
UNC Hospitals begins blood platelet collections at second location; need for donors urgent
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNC Hospitals will begin collecting blood platelets at a second location on Monday, March 10, and there is an urgent need for donors.
UNC Hospitals has been collecting platelets in the hospital complex since 1997. On March 10, platelet collections will begin at the UNC Hospitals Blood Center in Durham at 6224 Fayetteville Road, Suite 103, less than a mile from the The Streets at Southpoint.
Providing the necessary supplies of platelets to UNC Hospitals patients has been harder than ever this winter as donating numbers have dropped due to inclement weather and the need for the blood product has increased. Twelve to 15 donors a day are needed to meet the current needs of UNC Hospitals, but lately only 6-8 a day are being scheduled.
“The need for platelets is huge,” said Laura Shook-Marino, Donor Recruiter of the UNC Hospitals Platelet and Plasma Program. “By offering this donation site outside of Chapel Hill, we hope to recruit new and previous platelet donors, which will help us provide a more constant supply of these life-saving blood products.”
Platelets are important because they promote blood clotting, and when a patient with cancer or open-heart surgery does not have enough of this blood component, they risk bleeding to death or dying from infection.
The Platelet Program at UNC Hospitals is unique in the Triangle because its platelet supply comes from donations made within the hospital and the neighboring community. Platelet donations are unique because with regular whole blood donations, six to ten donations are required to supply enough platelets for one patient. By collecting platelets from only one person, which is done through the separation process called apheresis, the patient is no longer exposed to the blood of many people.
“We’re dependent upon the neighboring community for support of local patients,” said Shook-Marino. “So we have no other alternative but to attract more donors.”
The platelet donation procedure takes about two hours and can be done while the donor watches a movie. The donated platelet supply is then administered to patients with conditions such as cancer or liver disease, who are transplant recipients or trauma and burn victims, and patients undergoing open-heart surgery.
It is a safe and sterile procedure closely monitored by highly trained medical professionals, so there is no risk of contracting a disease. A donor’s red blood cells, white blood cells and the majority of platelets are returned to the donor after the donation is over.
For more information or to schedule a time to donate, call (919) 966-2370.
Media contact: Tom Hughes, (919) 966-6047, tahughes@unch.unc.edu
