KNOXVILLE — Medic Regional Blood Center’s annual BlueOrange Battle for Blood is set for November 18-22.
The event pits fans of the UT Vols against fans of the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The side collecting the most blood donations is the winner.
Jeannine McKamey of Medic said the contest was scaled back last year because blood centers inventories’ were at full capacity after donations surged following September 11.
“This year our problem is the opposite,” McKamey said. “Inventories of several blood types have been chronically short all year despite a record increase in collections. The 26 hospitals supplied by Medic donors simply are using much more blood and blood products. This seems to be the case throughout the country.”
Donors can give at Medic Headquarters, 1601 Ailor Avenue, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. and also 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Nov. 18-22, 224-227 UT Student Center.
Other scheduled donation sites and times include:
Nov. 18 — 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Blount Memorial Hospital Auditorium and Sevierville Wal-Mart Bloodmobile.
Nov. 19 — 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Newport Grammar School; 1 p.m.-8 p.m., UT’s Hess Hall Lobby and Clement Hall Bloodmobile; 10 a.m. to 6p.m., Greeneville Wal-Mart Bloodmobile.
Nov. 20 — 1 p.m.-8 p.m., UT South Carrick Hall Lobby and Andy Holt Apartments Residence Hall Bloodmobile; 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Athens Wal-Mart.
Nov. 21 — 8 a.m.-5 p.m., UT Institute of Agriculture, Hollingsworth Auditorium; 10 a.m. -6 p.m., Rockwood Wal-Mart and Morristown Wal-Mart.
Nov. 22 — 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Methodist Medical Center Lobby, Morristown Wal-Mart and Baskin Robbins Blood Mobile at Middlebrook Pike and Cedar Bluff.
Co-sponsors of the Tennessee BlueOrange drive are News Talk 99 Radio and Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. Donors receive free ice cream, a shirt and Medic-s Family Blood Coverage exempting members from paying blood supplier processing fees at any U.S. hospital.
For more information, contact Medic at 865-524-3074 or go to Medic’s website at www.medicblood.org.