Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I—Pulaski) and members of the Rural Health Network of Oswego County are teaming up to host a blood drive on Friday, May 1 at the Oswego Elks Lodge from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Giving blood truly saves lives. In fact, one donation can save up to three lives. Anyone who experiences a health problem like cancer or a heart transplant needs blood transfusions. Hospitals are in critical need of blood for emergency rooms throughout our region,” said Barclay. “I’m pleased we can work together this year to improve the total number of donors.”

“We know firsthand that blood is in short supply. Anything we can do to raise awareness and encourage people to donate blood will benefit our community. We’re grateful to the Red Cross for all they do on a daily basis to ensure there is an adequate blood supply,” said Jeff Coakley of Oswego Health. Coakley is also co-chair of the Rural Health Network of Oswego County.

“We are glad to partner with Assemblyman Barclay and with health care organizations across the county to try and bring more donors together. We hope that people can take some time out of their week for this great cause, as we work to save more lives together,” said Diane Oldenburg, co-chair of the Rural Health Network of Oswego County. Oldenburg is also with the Oswego County Health Department.

“We especially want to welcome new donors to this event. And encourage experienced donors to bring a friend. Having new donors has the potential to expand the pint donations across the region and to save more lives this spring and in the future,” said Brian Coleman, coordinator of Rural Health Network of Oswego County. Coleman is with Oswego County Opportunities.

Anyone is welcome to donate. To schedule an appointment for the May 1 blood drive in Fulton, call the Red Cross at 315-343-0967 or sign up online, visit their Web site and click on "Schedule an Appointment." It takes about 8-10 minutes to give blood with a total time to register and replenish with provided snacks of about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Donors are encouraged to eat well and hydrate prior to appointment.

There will be door prizes given for those who attend.

According to the Red Cross:

• Only 38% of the U.S. population is able to donate blood.
• Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
• More than one million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.