New blood center at Baptist Health provides convenient location to donate
Representatives from LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and JAX Chamber celebrated World Blood Donor Day June 14 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for LifeSouth’s new donor center at Baptist Health’s Southbank campus.
Following the ceremony, one of Baptist’s own medical faculty gave the gift of life.
San Marco resident Dr. Mark Hanly began giving blood 40 years ago as a medical school student in Rhodesia. “It saves lives and costs you nothing. What a tremendous combination,” he said as LifeSouth Phlebotomist Letha Sweat prepared his arm for his donation. “You also get a mini-health check when you give blood, and you get great T-shirts,” said Hanley.
The donor center, located at 800 Prudential Drive inside Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, opened on April 30 after about two years in the making. “Having the donation center within Baptist Jacksonville will ensure patients have rapid access to blood products, while allowing the community to donate the gift of life,” said Kyle Dorsey, vice president of operations for Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville.
The center collects donations Monday through Friday. Its location provides Baptist Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital employees, family members of patients and visitors to the hospital with a convenient place to donate whole blood and platelets.
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