JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. —
A trauma victim or seriously ill hospital patient can need
30, 50 or over 100 donations of blood to be saved.
Langley Air Force base hosts blood drives bi-monthly with
the Department of Defense’s Armed Services Blood Program to support troops
downrange and at home station to help take care of those needs.
It’s ASBP’s responsibility to ensure blood products for all active
duty personnel worldwide and their family members in military treatment
facilities.
“Our goal is to insure all deployed personnel and home
station hospital patients who need the gift of life-saving blood products will
have them,” said Ralph Peters, Armed Services Blood Program donor recruiter.
According to Peters, the normal time to donate is 30 to 45 minutes, not including travel time to the donation site. Ineligible
people wishing to donate blood can still help by encouraging those around them
to donate on any of the scheduled blood donation dates: February 7, April 10,
June 6, August 7, October 9 and December 11 of this year.
“We obtain a lot of volunteers this way and unlike a
civilian donor program, we are required to have a specific number of successful
donors per drive, essentially a quota,” said Peters. “This is to ensure that
required shipping down range is successful.”
Downrange shipping is every week of the year regardless of
op tempos and holiday down time so ASBP is able to meet the demand of blood
needed.
“The importance of this drive and LAFB support cannot be
emphasized enough,” said Peters.
If blood isn’t readily available from the ASBP then blood
must be purchased through a civilian program, costing the patients hospital a national
average of $258 per unit.
Commands play a vital role in allowing their personnel to
support this voluntary yet critical mission. Any incentive that a command or unit
at any level can offer their personnel to make a huge impact on every drive that
is sponsored in this region.
“It’s hard to know exactly what 2018 will hold for the Armed
Services Blood Program, but we know for sure that we can count on the
unwavering support of our donors,” said Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, DHA ASPB
director. “I extend my personal thanks to everyone who donated in 2017 and look
forward to another great year. Thank you for making a difference and giving
hope to our patients and service members in need!”
Fort Eustis will also hold a blood drive February 7, 2017
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the United States Army Reserve Center for anyone not able
to make it to Langley.
For more information on blood donation visit www.militaryblood.dod.mil
or e-mail: ralph.k.peters.civ@mail.mil or call 757-953-1686.
(A portion of this article
was provided by the Armed Services Blood Program website)