In honor of January National Blood Donor Month, community leaders will join Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 7 for a telethon to encourage blood donation.
Versiti will transform part of its Milwaukee donor center (638 N. 18th St.) into a telethon phone bank on Jan. 7. Versiti and community leaders are asking Wisconsinites to call the phone bank at 1-877-BE-A-HERO and pledge three lifesaving donations—one appointment in January, and two additional for the year ahead. The goal is to schedule 1,000 appointments on Jan. 7 to ensure a sufficient blood supply for the coming weeks and months.
Coming off of the busy holiday season, January is historically a very difficult month for blood donations. Seasonal illness and inclement weather also contribute to the drop.
As champions of the community, area leaders—including Milwaukee Brewers Manager Craig Counsell, Children’s Hospital Wisconsin CEO Peggy Troy, and Marquette University President Michael Lovell—are volunteering their time at the telethon location to speak on the impact of blood donation to the community and why it’s important for Wisconsin residents to give back and help patients in need:
Versiti is the sole provider of blood products to every hospital in southeast Wisconsin. The organization relies on the generosity of the community to ensure area hospitals have the blood products they need to save lives each and every day. To pledge three blood donations on Jan. 7, call 1-877-BE-A-HERO.
Page 2, Community leaders join Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin for National Blood Donor Month telethon
Community members across the state can watch the telethon on Versiti’s Facebook page (@VersitiBloodCenterofWisconsin). Versiti will livestream intermittent interviews with community leaders on Facebook throughout the day on Jan. 7.
About Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin
Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Milwaukee that specializes in blood services, esoteric diagnostic testing, organ, tissue and stem cell donation, medical services and leading-edge research. We advance patient care by delivering life-saving solutions grounded in unparalleled medical and scientific expertise. The collective efforts of Versiti affiliates result in improved patient outcomes, expanded access to care, and cost efficiencies for healthcare systems nationwide. For more information, visit versiti.org/Wisconsin.
###