Covenant Bible Church in Lincolnton hosted a Blood Drive with Community Blood Center of the Carolinas on Saturday, November 3. 

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) is a non-profit community-based blood center and the primary blood supplier to 19 regional hospitals, serving patients who live in 16 North Carolina and three South Carolina counties.

CBCC's hospital partners include: Carolinas Healthcare System, CaroMont Health, Piedmont Medical Center, Grace Hospital, Valdese Hospital, Frye Regional Medical Center, Central Carolina Hospital and Stanly Regional Medical Center.

The Center’s mission is to be the steward of a community resource – life-saving blood. CBCC is strictly a blood center, completely focused on gathering red blood cells, platelets and plasma from volunteer donors to save local lives.

Every drop of blood collected stays here to help people in our community. Their  vision is to help build and strengthen the bonds of community.

Upcoming Blood Drives hosted with Community Blood Center of the Carolinas will be:

November 12 at YMCA Lincolnton, 9-11 am  and from 5-7 p.m.

November 13 at Gaston College/Lincoln Campus, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

November 20 at CMC‑Lincoln, 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Blood Donation Statistics

• Anyone in good health, at least 16 years old, and at least 120 pounds may donate whole blood every 56 days, platelets every 14 days. Donors who switch between the two may give platelets 56 days after a whole blood donation or whole blood 28 days after a platelet donation.
• CBCC currently distributes an average of 390 blood products a day, a total of more than 142K per year.
• 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion this year.
• Someone needs blood every two seconds.
• Approximately 1 in 7 people being treated in the hospital need blood for their treatment.
• A single blood donation can save 3 local lives. Whole blood is separated into three individual components: platelets, red cells and plasma.
• 37% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood -- only 5% do.
• If all blood donors gave three times a year, it would help prevent blood shortages.
• There are four easy steps to donate blood: medical history, quick physical, donation and snacks!
• The actual blood donation usually takes less than ten minutes. The entire process -- from the time you sign in to the time you leave -- takes less than an hour.
• CBCC performs 14 tests (11 for infectious diseases) on each unit of donated blood.
• 42 days: the shelf life of donated red blood cells.
• Five days: the shelf life of donated platelets.
• One year: the shelf life of frozen plasma.
• Car accident and other blood loss victims can need transfusions of 50 pints or more of red blood cells.
• Bone marrow transplant patients need platelet donations from about 120 people and red blood cells from about 20 people.
• Severe burn victims can need 20 units of platelets during their treatment.
• Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their iron levels.
• Cancer, transplant and trauma patients, and patients undergoing open-heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive.
• There are four main blood types: A, B, AB and O. AB is the universal recipient, O negative is the universal donor.