Saint Francis earns Gold for blood drives
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Saint Francis Medical Center has earned Gold level status from the American Red Cross in its Champions for Life campaign.
The Champions for Life initiative benefits the Red Cross in two ways: by increasing blood donations at hospital-sponsored blood drives and by recognizing hospital sponsors and blood donors for their generous efforts. To meet its top priority – providing safe, reliable blood products to patients in need – the Red Cross depends on partnerships with area hospitals, including Saint Francis Medical Center.
Saint Francis’ staff and the public played an integral part in collecting 314 pints of blood through five blood drives in 2011. Because each pint has the potential to reach up to three people, nearly 950 patients may have benefited from their efforts.
“Saint Francis Medical Center not only provides excellent healthcare to our community, they go above and beyond and show true concern and support for area patients by hosting blood drives with the American Red Cross,” said Scott Caswell, CEO of the American Red Cross Missouri-Illinois Region. “This type of partnership is one which is greatly valued and needed to help meet patient demand for blood products – someone needs blood every two seconds. The American Red Cross is honored to partner with Saint Francis.”
Most hospitals transfuse more blood than is donated by local residents. Areas with major medical centers and hospitals, such as those in the Missouri-Illinois region, serve patients from all over the country and always need blood. To help ensure patients’ needs are not compromised, the American Red Cross asks eligible donors to embrace the responsibility of giving blood.
Saint Francis’ next blood drive is Wednesday, August 29, in the Franciscan Conference Room, at 211 Saint Francis Drive, Entrance 1.
Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to find more information on the need for blood donations or to schedule an appointment to donate blood.
Saint Francis Medical Center is a 280-bed facility serving more than 650,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Thomas G. Otto, MD, Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Gene E. Huckstep Emergency and Trauma Center with Convenient Care; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus. Saint Francis is proud to be the only employer in Missouri ranked on Modern Healthcare magazine’s prestigious Best Places to Work in Healthcare list for five consecutive years – 2008-2012.
