Grayson County Chamber of Commerce, St Joseph Catholic Church, and Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center, (OHTLMC), to host community blood drives with the Western Kentucky Regional Blood Center, (WKRBC). WKRBC is a non-profit, community blood center based in Owensboro and Hopkinsville, KY. Eleven western Kentucky medical facilities including OHTLMC rely on WKRBC to supply 100% of the blood products transfused in their facility. Since 1978 WKRBC has served as a local source for recruiting, collecting, preparing, testing, and delivering locally donated blood to local hospitals. In addition to eight hospitals, WKRBC also supplies three Air Evac Life Flight Teams with blood products that can be transfused mid-flight should the need arise.

The center operates a high-complexity laboratory in the Owensboro Center and performs all the required FDA infectious disease testing on site.  WKRBC is the only blood center in the Commonwealth with both the technology and the skilled staff required to perform their testing.  Having the capability to test allows WKRBC to respond immediately to local blood needs.

Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center reached out to WKRBC for assistance with their blood supplies in mid-2023, since July of 2023 WKRBC has delivered units to OHTLMC  of which were transfused.  As the new provider of blood supplies, WKRBC also brings two, five-bed bloodmobiles, a speakers bureau, High School Hero Scholarship opportunities, and an award-winning, multimedia, 5-12^th grade blood biology education program.

WKRBC CEO, Janet Howard, MT(ASCP)SBB, explains:

“We seek the community’s trust and participation as blood donors. We also understand to be successful in the community we need to invest in it. Our philosophy has always been to create a network of trust and participation by developing programs that support students, teachers, emergency service employees, etc. “

WKRBC is committed to delivering the same excellent service in Grayson County that hospitals in Daviess, Ohio, Mclean, Muhlenberg, Hancock, Breckinridge, Caldwell, Crittenden, Lyon, Trigg, and Christian Counties have received for the past 45 years.

If your group or organization is interested in hosting a blood drive, please contact WKRBC’s Director of Communications, Development, & Recruitment, Vicki Ellis.  Currently we are delivering more blood products to Grayson County than we are collecting from it. The goal is for the residents of Grayson County to source their own stable blood supply. To achieve this, we need more groups willing to partner in hosting blood drives.

Blood donation opportunities:  Please scan the QR Codes (attached) to sign up.

The Grayson County Chamber of Commerce community blood drive, The Centre on Main, July 30^th, 2024, from 12-4 pm       

St Joseph Catholic Church community blood drive, August 8^th, 2024, 12-4 pm, in the parish hall.

OHTLMC community blood drive, Bloodmobile in the parking lot, August 14^th, 2024, 9 am to 3 pm.

For questions please contact:

—

Vicki S. Ellis

Western Kentucky Regional Blood Center

Director of Communications, Development & Recruitment

3015 Old Hartford Road

Owensboro KY 42301

270-684-9296