CHRISTINA HUFF | The Daily Mississippian
Adam Goodman donates blood during a blood drive Wednesday.
Saving three lives in approximately 45 minutes comes at the small price of a pinch and a prick for people who visit and donate to Mississippi Blood Services.
This nonprofit donation organization services 49 hospitals in the state of Mississippi. Misssissippi Blood Services has nine drawing centers throughout the state with distribution hubs in Jackson, Oxford and Greenville, and its corporate office is located in Flowood.
Before Mississippi Blood Services formed in 1979, hospitals that needed blood for their patients were forced to fend for themselves.
“The basic idea was that this would take care of the needs of Mississippi,” said Lolita Gregory, the regional manager for Mississippi Blood Services.
The Oxford branch of Mississippi Blood Services was developed in the late 1990s and is going on 15 years of operation. Jennifer Hudson, a local marketing representative for Mississippi Blood Services in Oxford, said being in a college town has helped the organization generate support.
“We have several other hubs that we function throughout the state and certainly we do think that the Oxford hub generates a lot of donations just due to the involvement and interaction that we have with the students on campus,” Hudson said.
University of Mississippi students agree that although donating blood may not seem fun, it’s a worthy cause.
“Even though it might make you uncomfortable for a little while it’s worth it in the long run because it’s saving someone’s life,” said Kay Kay DeRossette, Ole Miss senior and Miss Ole Miss.
Weekly drives are hosted at Ole Miss on the Student Union Plaza in addition to other theme-related drives hosted by different organizations.
“We love a theme,” Gregory said. “Themes seem to work really well.”
For the week of Halloween, Mississippi Blood Services hosted a Transylvania Bowl Blood Drive in which Ole Miss students competed against Mississippi State students to see which school could donate the most blood. Ole Miss won and provided a donor from that week the opportunity to receive a $1500 scholarship.
“We try to keep donating blood a fun experience to keep donors coming back,” Hudson said.
Other popular incentives that Mississippi Blood Services offers include gift cards to restaurants and movie passes. A t-shirt is given to everyone who donates blood.
As the leading trauma center in the state, The University of Mississippi Medical Center is the biggest recipient of donated blood. Gregory said it is crucial that the community remain educated about the importance of donating blood.
“We want to be able to take care of Mississippi,” Gregory said. “We don’t want to have to go outside of Mississippi and ask Tennessee for help or Arkansas, and so in doing that, the strongest message for us is making sure people understand not only the importance of donating blood but donating blood on a regular basis.”
the center hosts throughout the year.
Blood can be donated every 56 days. People wanting to donate blood can visit the local MBS Hub in Oxford or participate in any of the many drives.
-Clancy Smith
clsmith3@go.olemiss.edu
