July 21, 2000

The BWH Blood Donor Center has challenged the MGH to a friendly competition to get the most employees to donate blood before and after the Labor Day weekend.

The goal of this challenge is to encourage employees at both hospitals to help the MGH and BWH Donor Centers meet the blood supply needs of patients during the long holiday weekend, when donations are traditionally low.

"We are very excited about meeting the challenge of getting the most employee donors," says Christopher Stowell, MD, PhD, of the MGH Blood Transfusion Service. "During the last year, our employee donations have increased substantially, so I think we have a good chance of winning. The real winners, however, will be our patients at both institutions. The summer holiday weekends are the most difficult to maintain a safe and adequate blood supply, so we need our employees the most during these times."

All employees who give blood between Aug. 28 and Sept. 15 will receive an MGH / BWH Employee Blood Drive Challenge T-shirt as a special thank you. A trophy also will be given to the winning donor center. For more information, call the MGH Blood Donor Center at 726-8171.

Judy Cote, of MGH Surgery, donates blood.