The Blood Center opens door of new donation center

Saving lives one pint at a time, Ocean Springs welcomed a new donor center from the Blood Center, even while Ocean Springs Hospital sponsored a blood drive in the hospital’s board room.

A new place to donate blood is open on the Gulf Coast. The Blood Center hosted a ribbon cutting for its new Ocean Springs donor center, located at 2939 Bienville Boulevard. The Blood Center Public Relations Manager Paul Adams said, “Us being on the Gulf Coast, us having this location is convenient for everybody. It’s the blood that’s on the shelf before an emergency that’s going to save somebody. So, individuals like this gentleman are really important in making sure that our community has what it needs to collect and save lives.”

The donor center is open twice a week and the hours can be found on thebloodcenter.org. The donating process only takes about an hour, including a mini physical, questionnaire, and giving blood.

What better way to celebrate the donor’s center grand opening than with a blood drive just right across the street. Ocean Springs Hospital hosted a blood drive in their board room from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the best part is all donations stay local. “When you give here, you’re saving somebody in your community. You’re saving your neighbors, your friends, your family, the people that you pass when you’re driving down the street.”

Even if you don’t know the person who is receiving the blood you donated, you’re saving the life of someone in need on the Gulf Coast. Singing River Health System Administrator Heath Thompson said, “Over the last few years with the pandemic, blood supply locally and nationally has really dipped down, and you know we have reached the point in the last couple of years where we’ve almost had to cancel a heart surgery a couple times, so we need to continue to do things like this together to start getting that supply back up so that it will be stable.”