Blood Drives Thursday, July 31, 2008 - Fowlerville Asahi Kasei Plastics 1 Thermofil Way 12:00 PM - 5:45 PM   Saturday, August 2, 2008 - Howell Heart of the Shepherd Lutheran Church 228 N. Burkhart Rd. 10:00 AM - 3:45 PM   Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - Pinckney People's Church 425 W. Unadilla St. 1:00 PM - 6:45 PM   Thursday, August 7, 2008 - Hamburg St. Paul Lutheran Church 7701 M-36 2:00 PM - 7:45 PM   Friday, August 8, 2008 - Brighton St. Mary Magdalen 2201 S. Old US 23 2:00 PM - 7:45 PM   Monday, August 11, 2008 - Howell First United Methodist Church 1230 Bower 1:00 PM - 6:45 PM   Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - Brighton Brighton Library 100 Library Rd. 10:00 AM - 3:45 PM   Friday, August 15, 2008 - Howell St. Joseph Mercy Hospital 620 Byron Rd. 10:00 AM - 3:45 PM   Monday, August 18, 2008 - Howell Oak Grove United Methodist 6686 Oak Grove Rd. 2:30 PM - 8:15 PM   Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - Howell American Red Cross 1372 W. Grand River Ave. 12:00 PM - 5:45 PM   Thursday, August 28, 2008 - Brighton Preview Properties 130 W. Grand River 2:00 PM - 7:45 PM   Friday, August 29, 2008 - Brighton Brighton Community Center 555  Brighton Rd. 10:00 AM - 3:45 PM   Friday, August 29, 2008 - Howell St. John's Episcopal Church 504 Prospect St. 1:00 PM - 6:45 PM BLOOD DRIVE VOLUNTEER POSITION DESCRIPTIONS What happens to your blood donation? Blood is made up of several elements that perform special functions in your body. Because your whole blood donation will be divided into parts to meet various medical needs, your donation can help up to three different people. The most well-known components derived from whole blood are red cells, platelets and plasma. Help save lives. Donate blood. Call 1-800-GIVE LIFE PLATELETS are cell fragments or particles in blood that help form clots and stop bleeding. Platelets are transfused to patients who experience bleeding because they can’t produce enough platelets of their own. Many platelet recipients are children undergoing treatment for extremely serious health problems like leukemia, cancer and aplastic anemia. Shelf life: 5 days PLASMA is the liquid yellow portion of blood. It carries nutrients, removes waste, and serves as an energy source, a regulator of body functions, a system for infection fighting, and coagulation. Plasma may be frozen and processed into several specialized blood products. • Fresh frozen plasma (FFP)--used for transfusions to patients with bleeding complications • Cryoprecipitate--needed by people with classic hemophilia and common clotting disorders • Albumin--needed by burn victims, in emergencies related to accident or shock cases, and in the treatment of certain kidney and liver diseases • Immune globulin--used to supplement a patient’s immune system, to battle various microbial disease, or for clotting • Fibrin bandages--now under development by Holland Laboratory, these plasma derived bandages could be used on battlefields or on the scene of serious accidents where bleeding contributes to loss of life. Shelf life: Several years; varies by plasma product RED CELLS carry oxygen from the lungs to all other tissues in the body. These cells pick up carbon dioxide from tissues that is then carried back and released into the lungs. Red cells help patients who are anemic because of blood loss. Shelf life: 42 days, unless frozen; frozen cells may be outdated up to 10 years.   Contact us for more information about our blood drives.