Blood Assurance, the organization that plays an essential role in maintaining the blood supply in Chattanooga and in the surrounding area, celebrated 40 years of service to the community earlier this month. The anniversary, of course, is worthy of note, but the celebration should be accompanied by the knowledge that the agency often needs an extra bit of assistance to meet its worthy goals.
That certainly is the case now. Blood Assurance officials issued a public call earlier this week for donors who have O positive, O negative, A negative and B negative blood types. The agency's supply is dwindling. Donations to the center are down at the moment because of a normal summertime shortage of donors. The public should respond to the call positively. There's ample reason to do so. Most people would not have to look long to find a family member, friend or acquaintance assisted by Blood Assurance sometime in the last four decades.
The agency's record of service is as broad as it is deep. Its service area now includes 50 health-care facilities in 34 counties. It collects about 102,000 units of blood every year. It must.
Blood Assurance currently needs about 400 units of blood every day Monday through Friday and about 200 units each Saturday and Sunday. Though willing donors have been exceedingly generous over the years, meeting that demand often poses a challenge.
That's because only a small percentage -- about five percent -- of the nation's eligible blood donor population elects to do so. Even a single digit increase in the percentage of willing donors would relieve some of the pressure on Blood Assurance to meet its goals and to fulfill its mission here.
Blood Assurance and all who work there have given a great deal to Chattanooga, to Hamilton County and to residents of the surrounding in four decades of existence. The best way to honor that contribution is to become a blood donor -- now to meet the current shortage and again in the future to help meet rising demand propelled by a growing population and by the increasing sophistication of medical procedures. That will enable the agency to continue and to expand its life-saving work.