It is a common metaphor, used to stress the importance of some thing or quality. From our children to our community service to churches, schools and businesses, all sometimes referred to as “the lifeblood our community.”
These are all useful metaphors, of course, because they remind us of the importance of all these things. But they are just metaphors.
The literal “lifeblood of our community” is, of course, blood.
Without it, life cannot be sustained. There is no substitute for it, either.
Odd, then, that something so essential to life is so rarely thought of.
Sometimes, there are reminders, however. The car crashes we had over the weekend should be sufficient to remind us of the critical importance of building and maintaining an adequate blood supply.
That responsibility falls on most of us. If you are 16 or older, met the height/weight criteria and have no disqualifying medical conditions, the status of your community’s blood supply — be it sufficient or inadequate — is largely in your hands. It is our shared responsibility and an enormously important one at that.
Sandi Kilburn, the blood bank supervisor at Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle, says the hospital uses anywhere from 250 to 350 units of blood per month, which translates to 3,000 to 4,200 units per year.
When you take into account the blood required by hospitals in Starkville, West Point and Macon, the annual need gets much higher. The blood supply is not stable, either. A unit has a shelf-life of about 45 days, and one bad accident, stabbing or shooting can seriously deplete that supply, especially where less common blood types are concerned.
The blood supply for our hospitals comes from United Blood Services, which collects blood from donors throughout the state and distributes it as needed.
Every drop of that bloods comes through donations.
Viewed in that context, the need for donors is staggering and the question emerges: How often do you contribute to meet that essential need? When was the last time you donated blood?
In some cities, people can donate blood at local United Blood Services offices. But UBS has no offices in the Golden Triangle. That means that here in the Golden Triangle there is but one way to donate – by participating in blood drives.
Today and Wednesday, UBS and Mississippi University for Women will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Hogarth Student Union.
We encourage you to give.
It is, after all, the lifeblood of our community.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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