The University of Alabama at Birmingham and the American Red Cross will hold a special, one-day blood drive on Dec. 31. The holiday period disrupts usual blood donation patterns, often leading to shortages of blood for transfusions in January and February. 
The drive runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, at the UAB Hospital North Pavilion 2nd floor atrium, 18th Street and Sixth Avenue South.
Each donor will receive a free movie ticket to any of the AMC movie theaters in the Birmingham area. Donors will also be registered for a drawing of a $25 gift card and all donors will receive a long-sleeve T-shirt.
Donors should bring a photo ID. Appointments can be made at www.redcrossblood.org; sponsor codes UABNP.
UAB is one of the largest users nationally of blood supplied by the Red Cross. Donors can give blood up to six times a year, every eight weeks. The process takes about 45 minutes; the actual blood collection usually takes less than 20 minutes.
Blood products are used during surgery, transplantation, trauma care, difficult pregnancies and cancer treatment. It is not unheard-of for a single patient to require as many as 100 units.