'Bloodmobile' rolls to a site near you
Anne Arundel Medical Center is rolling out a "bloodmobile" to improve blood supplies for the region and provide quick and convenient donation opportunities.
The blood bus will host blood drives throughout the region. The 40-foot custom-designed bus has two private interview rooms and four donor chairs. Donors can expect to spend about 30 minutes from the time they begin their interview until they are done giving.
About 3,000 AAMC patients need blood transfusions every year, requiring 7,300 units of blood, said hospital blood bank supervisor Janet CassBaxter.
"Every unit of donated blood can save up to three lives, because of the variety of components in blood," CassBaxter said. "Because donated blood can be stored only 42 days, there is a vital need for a continuous supply."
Blood donated on the bus and at AAMC's Medical Park remains in the region AAMC serves, helping save the lives of accident victims, cancer patients and others who depend on timely transfusions.
You'll find the AAMC donor bus at the following locations:
Today -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Environmental Resources Management, 200 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis.
Tomorrow -- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Annapolis Exchange building, 1997 Annapolis Exchange, Annapolis.
Friday -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Westfield Annapolis Mall, Outside of Bow Tie Theatres.
Monday -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Annapolis Subaru, 149 Old Solomons Island Road, Annapolis.
Tuesday -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Annapolis Volvo, 333 Busch's Frontage Road, Annapolis.
Aug. 1 -- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Annapolis Bank and Trust/PNC, 1824 Georgia Ave., Annapolis.
Aug. 2 -- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., InforMed, 1596 Whitehall Road, Annapolis.
To host a mobile blood drive, call 443-481-4272 or 1-866-471-HERO. To donate blood at Anne Arundel Medical Center, call 443-481-4215.
Aug. 13, blood pressure screenings.
Aug. 16, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., blood pressure screenings.
Aug. 20, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., county Department of Aging will offer information on their services and answer questions.
Aug. 21, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., blood pressure screenings.
Aug. 16, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., blood pressure screenings.
Aug. 20, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., county department of aging will offer information on their services and answer questions.
Aug. 21, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., blood pressure screenings./
MS specialist joins BWMC staff
Dr. Sangjin Oh, a neurologist who specializes in treating patients with multiple sclerosis, recently joined the medical staff at Baltimore Washington Medical Center.
More than 5,000 people in Maryland -- including nearly 900 in Anne Arundel County -- have been diagnosed with MS, thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, which involves the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
Oh, who also treats general neurology patients, received his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in neurology and a fellowship in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Oh is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Medical Association.
Information: 410-787-4375.