Burnett School of Medicine Blood Drive Helps Community
Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the United States, according to the American Red Cross.
FORT WORTH – Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood, according to the American Red Cross.
That’s why the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University recently hosted a blood drive, hoping to bring awareness to the importance of giving blood.
Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the United States, according to the American Red Cross.
“Blood is something that is always needed and always in short supply.” said Ric Bonnell, M.D., Director of Service Learning at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. “You can’t stockpile 10 years worth of blood. It’s a perishable commodity and then there’s many different blood types that needs to match the patient. So, there’s always a national and international short supply of blood.”
The Red Cross says one donation can help save more than one life. This urgent need is one reason why Dr. Bonnell is wanting to host more blood drives.
“We’re hoping to have it every three to four months at Burnett where our faculty and students are the ones that run it and donate blood.”
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU is transforming health care by inspiring Empathetic Scholars, and a move like this is speaking to the school’s mission.
“It’s something that I want our students to experience and be a part of, the supply side of making sure that blood is available for the health care system,” Bonnell said.
The American Red Cross says each year an estimated 6.8 million people in the U.S. donate blood. If you would like to join them, log on to redcross.org and sign up.