The Folks at Mississippi Blood Services do a Job so Basic, so Vital, so Fundamental to Who We Are as a Society That Plain Language is Called for: They Provide Us the Extra Blood That Can Save Our Lives.
The message is simple. Mississippi Blood Services (MBS) is doing such a good job that the amount of blood they distribute every year has almost doubled in the last decade. What’s even more amazing is the fact that the demand for blood has outgrown the supply. In fact, of the 126,000 units distributed last year, only 69,000 were collected in the service area. The rest had to be purchased to keep up with demand.
MBS provides blood to more than 50 hospitals across the state, and to some in Arkansas and Tennessee. Technically, the company is a not-for-profit pharmaceutical company regulated by the FDA and licensed to distribute a perishable product to hospitals. MBS is the only blood service headquartered in Mississippi.
Growing, Growing, Growing
MBS started modestly, in a former grocery store in 1979. Demand drove the supply up and they moved to their larger location in a former furniture store on Lakeland Drive in 1996. And now Mississippi Blood Services has moved into its third facility on Tree Top Road. The new, two-story 52,000-square-foot building features two freezers, two sub-zero freezers, dedicated donor areas and flat-screen TVs with live shows and movies to enjoy while blood is being drawn. To strengthen outreach to potential donors, the company has eight buses that make 150 trips a month across the state to collect blood.
The size of the new MBS home brings greater capacity as well as improved efficiency. Now inventory can flow from donation to storage to distribution more easily. Additional space also means that in times of crisis or increased need, locally or out of state, they have the ability to handle the extra capacity.
It’s Never Been Easier
While donating blood may not be at the top of your list of leisure activities, once you understand the impact you can have in a short time, it makes it one of the easiest decisions you will ever make. The equipment used is completely safe and you can’t catch a disease from the process. Before you donate, you get a “mini physical,” with MBS techs checking your iron level, your blood pressure, your temperature and your pulse. Every visit earns you cookies and juice! Additionally, donors and donor groups get supplemental insurance to help cover blood related costs should they ever be in need.
Donor incentive plans to encourage donations include:
The Family 1 Plan: Provides supplemental insurance for the donor and his or her immediate family when you donate at least once annually.
The Family 2 Plan: Provides the same supplemental coverage to another family chosen by the donor when you donate at least once annually.
The Group Plan: Provides the coverage to a business or other group when 25% of the members donate blood at least once annually.
A DECADE OF GROWTH
- 2000: 68,000 Units Distributed
- 2010: 126,000 Units Distributed
