Have a heart this Valentine’s Day: Give blood

Fall in love with blood donation at the UAB and Red Cross Valentine’s Day blood drive.

Valentine Blood Drive 2 1Be someone’s valentine and donate blood at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Valentine’s Day blood drive. The drive, in conjunction with the American Red Cross, runs at UAB Hospital and UAB Highlands from Feb. 9-19.

The Valentine’s Day drive will be held in the UAB Hospital North Pavilion second-floor atrium Feb. 9-14 and in UAB Highlands Hospital from Feb. 17-19. All blood types are needed. Donors will be eligible for a drawing for one of five $50 Walmart gift cards and other prizes. Every donor will receive a T-shirt.

Drive hours at the North Pavilion, 18th Street and Sixth Avenue North:

  • Monday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Friday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb. 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Hours at UAB Highlands, 1201 11th Ave. South:

  • Tuesday, Feb. 17, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 19, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Donors should bring a photo ID. Free parking is available in the North Pavilion parking deck and the UAB Highlands parking lot. Reserve your appointment at www.redcross.org; sponsor codes are UABNP or UAB Highlands.

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.