News & Announcements

The Health Care Authority of Oxford will team with LifeSouth to host a community blood drive from Feb. 6-8 at the Friendship Community Center at 2930 Friendship Road.

The drive is being held in response to the urgent need to replenish the local blood supply.

Oxford Health Systems CEO Tom Dixon said blood supplies are now so low throughout the region that some hospitals are now even limiting elective surgeries.

“The entire region has reached a critical need for blood as weather conditions and numerous seasonal illnesses have hampered people’s ability to donate blood as normal,” Dixon said. “It seems like those are minor things, but they impact the system to the point that we don’t have a good blood supply.”

Dixon said there are medical conditions, in addition to trauma situations, which require access to blood “or they could die from those conditions.”

“If we don’t have blood readily available at the hospitals or to our paramedics, it could mean the difference between life and death,” he said.

The blood drive hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

All blood donors will receive a $25 e-gift card while supplies last. Platelet and double red donors will receive an additional $20 e-gift card.