Blood drive a success

On behalf of the Inland Northwest Blood Center, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who supported our efforts in Moses Lake during our Community Wide Blood Drive held July 2,3 and 5,6 at Samaritan Healthcare.

As the non-profit provider of blood products for your local hospitals and medical centers, we depend on our faithful community donors to ensure we are able to maintain a safe and dependable supply of blood when it is needed.

During our community wide event, our donors showed why we can rely on the communities in the Columbia Basin to help those in need of blood products by turning out in record fashion.

For the four days of our event, we collected 220 units of blood on a goal of 149, meaning we collected at just over 147 percent of our goal! This outstanding turnout meant we were able to rise to meet the challenges our summer months often throw at us with regard to greater demand for blood products.

We are truly blessed to have such wonderful community partners in Samaritan Healthcare, the City of Moses Lake, and KDRM and I was reminded daily by those who visited our drive that these partnerships really do make a difference.

We could not have had a successful event without these partners, and dozens of other businesses and civic groups who actively engaged their patrons and members on our behalf.

While our community wide event is complete for 2012, the ongoing need for blood in our hospitals continues, so I would invite you to come and see us during our regularly scheduled weekly blood drives at Samaritan Healthcare every Monday and Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

With your support, we really can continue to save lives.

Matthew Walton

Spokane