Andrew Brosnahan, facility engineer, gives a blood donation during the Sanford Lab blood drive on Wednesday, August 28, 2019.
This August, the Environment, Safety and Health Department (ESH) at Sanford Underground Research Facility’s (Sanford Lab) hosted an onsite blood drive with Vitalant. Dozens of employees, many of them first-time donors, donated blood and learned about the nationwide demand for blood transfusions.
“The blood drive was a huge success! Our goal was to collect 21 units, but we ended the day with 31,” said Laura Baatz, occupational health nurse at Sanford Lab. “There were 33 blood donors that came to the blood drive, and 17 of those were brand new donors.”
The blood drive is the most recent in a series of health initiatives—including walking competitions and wellness fairs—planned by Sanford Lab’s ESH team. The initiatives are designed to promote workplace wellness and encourage healthy employee lifestyles. For this initiative, Sanford Lab partnered with Vitalant, one of the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit community blood service providers.
“Vitalant is on a mission every day to make sure that there is enough blood for area patients in need,” said Jennifer Ash, donor recruitment representative for Vitalant. “We rely solely on volunteer blood donors for the lifesaving blood products we provide to hospitals.”
Eighty percent of the population will need a blood transfusion in their lifetime; however, while 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate, less than 10 percent actually donate.
“As you can see, the need is real and never ending,” said Ash. “There is no substitute for human blood. Thank you for partnering to save lives!”
“The ESH Department would like to thank all employees who donated and the team at Vitalant for making this blood drive successful,” said Baatz.
Vitalant provides blood and special services to patients in more than 1,000 hospitals across 40 states. Millions of people in communities throughout these states depend on generous volunteer blood donors and our dedicated team to make sure lifesaving blood is available when and where it is needed. Learn more about special donation opportunities, news and activities in your community and beyond.
The Environmental, Safety and Health, and Quality Assurance Department at Sanford Underground Research Facility promotes health and safety in the workplace, as well as healthy living and wellness for all employees. If you have questions about health and wellness, please contact our occupational health nurse, Laura Baatz, who is onsite daily at lbaatz@sanfordlab.org.