NEWS

CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host a blood drive July 23 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Dean E. Smith Center.

Donors may park free in the lots adjacent the center. Appointments may be made by contacting the blood drive phone line at 96-Blood or 962-5663. Walk-ins are also welcome.

The drive is not limited to UNC students, faculty and staff, campus organizers said. Anyone from the local communities may also make blood donations but are asked to call in advance for an appointment or go to the Smith Center on the day of the drive.

First-time donors will receive at least one coupon from a local vendor for a free or discounted product.

The goal is to collect 1,000 pints of blood, said Deborah Hawkins, an event organizer and parking control manager in the department of public safety.

Last year’s campus drive netted 998 usable pints, which can be broken down into five different components that typically help at least three people for a total of 2,994 people potentially served by the 2001 drive held at UNC, Hawkins said.

Blood is a perishable product and lasts only 42 days once donated, so the need for donors is constant, she said.

Donations typically drop off during summer months because:

· Donors are on vacation.

· Iron levels in some donors are lower due to lighter summer diets and increased activity, causing them to be unable to give blood.

· High school and colleges are closed; student donors are generally inaccessible during summer months.

· Companies generally have fewer employees in June, July and August.

Red Cross officials stress that the demand for blood does not decrease in those months, but often rises because of accidents caused by increased travel and vacations.

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Note: For additional information, contact Hawkins at 962-5026.

News Services contact: Mike McFarland, (919)962-8593