Suncoast Communities Blood Bank To Host First Quarterly Blood Drive On December 20th At Manatee Memorial Hospital

Online, December 7, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Suncoast Communities Blood Bank will host its first of quarterly scheduled Blood Drives on December 20, 2010 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Manatee Memorial Hospital in partnership with the Manatee Healthcare System. The Manatee Healthcare System is the county's largest acute care provider. The Blood Drive will be held in the auditorium just inside the main entrance of Manatee Memorial Hospital.

At least 10,000 units of blood are needed annually to service the area, but only 4% of the public is currently donating. The Blood Bank is reaching out to the community to ask them to help save lives and ensure the County's facilities, such as Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center have an ample blood supply.

The donation process takes approximately 30 minutes and one unit of blood can save up to three lives. The personal reward of donating blood will not be the only one for those who choose to participate. Each donor will be entered in two drawings for two tickets to the Capital One and Outback Bowls, and will also receive special gifts from participating sponsors.

"We provide 100% of the blood products for the Manatee Healthcare System, which includes Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medial Center," reported Jayne Giroux, public relations and promotions manager of Suncoast Communities Blood Bank. "It's vital that our community members participate and donate if they can, because we truly cannot operate without them."

"Suncoast Communities Blood Bank has a distinguished reputation for providing outstanding customer service in its hospitals, patients and blood donors, said Kevin DiLallo, CEO of Manatee Healthcare System. "They have been in the area for over 60 years and we welcome them as a vital partner."

To be eligible to donate blood, a person must be in good health, 17 years of age or older and at least 110 pounds. If you are not able to donate blood at this scheduled Manatee Memorial Hospital Blood Drive, please visit the SCBB web site, scbb.org, for a listing of SCBB locations and Blood Drives taking place throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

About Suncoast Communities Blood Bank

Suncoast Communities Blood Bank (SCBB) is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization providing a reliable supply of safe blood products and services to our community for over 60 years. SCBB provides 100% of the blood products and services for Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System, Manatee Healthcare System, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Sarasota, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, DeSoto Memorial Hospital and Bayflite 2. SCBB is recognized as a distinguished provider with outstanding customer service and the ability to provide rare blood services onsite. For more information, visit scbb.org.