2/28/03

PRINT MEDIA CONTACTS:
Michele Gassaway at (650) 723-8237 ( )
Michelle Brandt at (650) 723-0272 or 723-6911 ( )

BROADCAST MEDIA CONTACT:
Neale Mulligan, (650) 724-2454 ( )

STANFORD BLOOD CENTER EMPLOYEE IS OUT FOR BLOOD

STANFORD, Calif. – Brenda Glover, an employee of the Stanford Blood Center, will wear a blood-drop costume on her daily commute for a week to promote blood donations. A CalTrain and Marguerite Shuttle user, she hopes her unusual effort will boost the profile of the blood center starting March 3.

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Glover's understanding of the need for blood donations crystalized after her uncle underwent a heart transplant at Stanford Hospital two years ago. "It made me more aware of the need for blood," she said. "I thought wearing the blood-drop costume would be a reminder for people."

Commuting between San Mateo and Palo Alto everyday, Glover, the blood center's lead data aide, thinks she'll have plenty of visibility and time to raise awareness. She hopes it will start conversations on the train with fellow passengers. “It will be a good advertisement. It will put donating in their mind and will hopefully make them say, ‘Oh yeah, I need to donate blood,' ” she said.

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Stanford Blood Center depends on people to donate blood every day to keep up with patient needs. Glover wants to help the blood center by recruiting new donors. "At first, people will probably think it's pretty odd. But in the end, I hope they say to themselves, 'I need to donate. That's my way of helping others.' "

Blood center staff support Glover's enthusiasm. "We're all really excited and think it's fantastic," said Barbi Meehan, Glover's supervisor.

A single donation can help up to three patients. Each pint is separated into platelets, plasma and red cells, allowing physicians to transfuse patients with only the components they need. For instance, chemotherapy patients lose their ability to make platelets during treatment and thus require regular platelet transfusions.

Donors may call (650) 723-7831 or toll-free (888) 723-7831 to make an appointment, learn hours of operation and get directions. Donors should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They must eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification at the time of donation. The process takes about an hour.

For more information or to schedule an appointment online, please visit http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu.


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Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions - Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center's Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.