August 20, 2004

Giving platelets doesn't mean giving up time

While the MGH Blood Donor Center staff encourages MGH employees to donate much-needed platelets, they recognize that busy schedules often leave little time for the two to two-and-a-half- hour donation process. To help ease the time crunch, the Blood Donor Center's E-chair — a comfortable reclining leather chair with a connected laptop computer — now is equipped with access to the Partners system. Employees can log on to the laptop as if they were at their desk, accessing Outlook and other programs specific to their work. The E-chair also offers options of watching TV or a DVD, connecting to the Internet, playing computer games or listening to music.
"I make it a point to donate no matter what, but with a busy schedule, being able to catch up on e-mails or do other work while I donate is the best of two worlds,"says Karen Kuhn Ballen, MD, of the MGH Bone Marrow Transplant and Leukemia Program. "I don't lose time working, and I still get to help our patients."

To encourage MGH employees to keep donating platelets and blood, the fourth annual MGH vs. BWH Employee Blood Donor Challenge begins Aug. 23 and runs through Sept. 10. The challenge will be a friendly competition between the "Boston Red Cells" team — which includes the MGH and MGH health centers, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Shriners Burns Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital — and the "Green Monsters" team — which includes BWH, Partners employees and other Partners-affiliated hospitals. For more information, visit www.mgh.harvard.edu/blooddonorcenter

To schedule an appointment to donate platelets or blood, call (617) 726-8177.