FORT BENNING, Ga., (July 9, 2014) -- Soldiers assigned to the 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, organized a battalion blood drive at Sullivan Memorial Blood Center on Sand Hill to support the local blood center and donate blood for use overseas.
Sullivan Memorial Blood Center is a permanent center at Fort Benning that collects blood in support of the Armed Services Blood Program. It is a joint operation program that deals in blood collection, facilities and distribution worldwide to armed forces.
In an effort to bring awareness to the location and mission of the center and to help meet its blood mission, 203rd BSB organized and participated in four weekly blood drives. The blood drives took place on June 3, 10, 17, and 24.
Dozens of Soldiers from the Eagle Battalion donated blood in June to help ensure that the blood meets the weekly blood donation mission the ASBP sets for it. All blood donated is collected, processed and distributed to Soldiers in need in theater.
Due to the short shelf life of whole blood, 35 to 42 days from donation, there is a great need for a continuous supply to aid individuals in need of blood. During a regular blood donation about a pint of blood is collected and it is broken down into its three main components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma.
Each component of blood can be used to save lives. Nine thousand units of blood were collected at the blood center in direct support of the ASBP in 2013. Sullivan Memorial Blood Center also participates in the Department of Defense's C.W. Bill Young Bone Marrow Program.
The program is designed to register individuals' DNA, collected by cheek swab, in the national database for potential matching with persons in need of bone marrow transplants.
The blood center is also currently awaiting Federal Drug Administration approval for use of their fully functional and state of the art plasma donation suite located in the blood center.
Sullivan Memorial Blood Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for walk-in donation or by appointment by calling 706-544-0071.
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