Blood Donor Services offering new temporary hours

Effective Monday, April 11, Blood Donor Services will begin offering new temporary hours of operation.

The new hours are as follows:

Monday: 7-9 a.m., 2:30-6 p.m.

Tuesday-Friday: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Vergilia Velez, program specialist of Augusta University’s Blood Donation Program, said that the new temporary schedule was an effort to accommodate more donors by offering times more convenient to various shifts.

“Many donors have suggested this to us, and we are always in need of new donors,” Velez said. “We believe this schedule will make it more convenient for day-shift donors to come in.”

Velez noted that the need for donors cannot be understated.

Blood Donor Services supplies blood to all areas of the Augusta University Medical Center, and blood is always in demand. To ramp up donation efforts, Velez said that Blood Donor Services would also be offering donation incentives in addition to the new hours of operation.

“We have great T-shirts and goodie bags and offer refreshments after each donation,” Velez said. “Those who have an HAS account receive a credit for each donation. Two in a year is a $100 credit.”

In addition to those incentives, Blood Donor Services also participates in the Patient Give Back Program. For each unit of blood donated, a credited dollar amount will be put toward the outstanding balance of a patient bill at the hospital. This credit only applies to amounts not covered by insurance but can be put toward a patient bill of the donor’s choosing.

For more information about blood donation, contact Blood Donor Services at 706-721-3695.