SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., ― Are you a blood donor? In recognition of World Blood Donor Day, Regional West encourages all healthy adults to consider donating blood or blood products.

Transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. It can help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with a higher quality of life, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and child care and during the emergency response to man-made and natural disasters.

Donating blood or platelets is a simple, safe and easy process. To donate, you must be in good health, be 16 years of age and older, and weigh more than 115 pounds. A healthy donor can donate blood every 56 days. Your gift of time and blood may actually save a life. 

“All of us at Regional West and West Nebraska Blood Center want to express our gratitude to all of our donors, mobile coordinators, volunteers, and in-house staff who return repeatedly, spend countless hours in the recruitment of donors and sponsoring blood drives, and take time out of their busy days to save the lives of countless other humans,” said Senior Laboratory Manager Lori Lake, MT (ASCP)SBBcm.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood or for more information, please call West Nebraska Blood Center at 308-630-2477. The Donor Center is located next to the Park Bench Café, on the main floor of Regional West Medical Center. It is open Monday through Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The donation process usually takes less than one hour. Donors will complete a donor registration form, health history, and mini-physical (i.e., temperature, blood pressure, pulse). It is helpful to eat and drink plenty of fluids before donating blood. The blood collection takes approximately 8 to 10 minutes, after which you will be given juice and a cookie.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers, and 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.