Tomah Health and Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin officials are asking area residents to consider giving the gift of life by donating blood during a two-day blood drive Nov. 13 & 14 at Tomah Recreation Park.
“The precious gift of a blood donation helps to make the season brighter for patients and by donating at the Tomah Health Blood Drive, you are gifting a stable and ready blood supply in our community,” said Emalea Cogdill, Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin account representative.
To help meet the need, Tomah Health and Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin are holding a two-day blood drive Nov.13 & 14 from noon – 5 p.m. at Tomah’s Recreation Park, 1625 Butts Ave., Tomah. It’s the last hospital blood drive in 2024.
To donate blood, a person must be in good health, at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and have photo identification. Sixteen-year-olds may also donate with parental consent. While the process for whole blood donation usually takes about one hour, the blood collection itself is usually about 10 minutes.
Cogdill said it is critical to keep plenty of blood available heading into a busy time of the year. “We can’t wait for winter weather or busy holiday schedules to deplete the supply and try to catch up; by then it is too late,” she said. “The need for blood doesn’t take a holiday.”
Versiti Blood Center is the sole blood supplier to over 50 hospital systems in Wisconsin including Tomah Health, the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center and numerous other hospitals in the Coulee Region.
