Choctaw Nation
Kelsey Brown
TALIHINA – A recent blood drive at the Choctaw Nation Healthcare Center in Talihina set a new record. A total of 116 staff members donated 132 units of blood in June. The previous high was in June 2018 when 96 people donated 114 units.
The Choctaw Nation has teamed with the Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) in sponsoring blood drives in southeast Oklahoma since 2004. Earlier this year, OBI reported that from 2004 to February 2020, Choctaw Nation associates donated 18,423 “whole blood units” and another 2,071 “red blood cell units.” OBI estimates with each unit saving up to three lives over this period that as many as 67,695 lives have been saved.
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an exceptional need for blood donations. Upcoming drives at Choctaw facilities include:
- July 21, Choctaw Casino – McAlester, 10:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
- July 29, Choctaw Nation Health Clinic in Idabel, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
- July 31, Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Aug. 7, Choctaw Nation Headquarters in Durant, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- The 11th annual Red River Rivalry blood drive is set for October.
For information, contact Tammie Cannady, director of Preventive Health, Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority, tkcannady@cnhsa.com or 800-349-7026 ext. 7121; also, the Oklahoma Blood Institute, https://obi.org/.