Nonpprofit Spotlight
In recognition and support of the work of the over 100 nonprofits in Cambridge, we will be spotlighting member nonprofits in Connections throughout the year.


Mount Auburn Hospital Blood Donor Program is a blood donation outreach program creating blood drives within the community, dedicated to serving the surrounding area of Cambridge and its sister towns, with the goal of direct blood donation to the patients at Mount Auburn Hospital.

Purpose/Mission: To service the community by organizing blood drive events at corporations, nonprofits and civic associations
with a team dedicated to collecting blood for direct use of Mount Auburn Hospital patients. The purpose is to have immediate blood available and save the high cost of purchasing blood from the Red Cross. Blood only stays fresh for 42 days, so there is a constant requirement to make sure it’s available for patients in need.
Constituency served: Hospital patients from Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Belmont, Brighton, Boston and Charlestown.

Brief history:  About nine years ago the Director of the Blood Donor Program, Dr. Griffiths, had a vision for creating a blood donor center at Mount Auburn Hospital, with the purpose of servicing the surrounding communities by bringing a staff of technicians directly to area companies for the convenience of donating blood without having to leave work.

Impact on Cambridge community: This program allows people in the community to conveniently give blood with little interruption to their work. It makes it easy for a company to host a blood drive, with little effort and disruption. This is a great bonding experience amongst employees, giving them the opportunity to take a break and do a good deed with their co-workers alongside them. It ensures that blood is available for critical care to a patient who might be a neighbor, friend or associate in the event of a blood shortage or a need for a rare blood type. A blood center that can go to a company and secure 20 good donors in a four hour period allows the hospital to save up to 40 lives with each donation. The more people get into the habit of donating blood, learning about its impact and supporting blood donation, the greater the impact in really making a difference. The life you save may be your own.

Proudest accomplishment: The program has developed approximately 28 corporate and nonprofit sponsors over the last six years.
 
Future plans/goals:  The goal this next year is to achieve 2,000 units through recruitment of additional companies to hold blood drives.

Current news:  Looking to book blood drives in October, November and December—critical months before the holidays and winter.

Greatest need: Companies willing to host blood drives at their location, in a large conference room or part of a lobby, once or twice a year on a Tuesday or Thursday.

Get involved: Contacts are sought at companies with 100 or more employees to discuss how easy it is to set up a blood drive. Contact Barbara Moss, Blood Donor Recruiter at Mount Auburn Hospital at (617) 575-8670 or bmoss@mah.harvard.edu to schedule a time to meet, show the facility and book a date.



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