Lee Memorial Health System’s Guns n’ Hoses Blood Drive is finally arriving in Cape Coral this Thursday after a month of collecting blood across Lee County from firefighters, police officers and the general public.
The health system typically turns up its efforts to collect blood over the summer because of shortages from high school students going on vacation and snowbirds returning north. In order to maintain the current blood supply, the center is asking public servants and the public to help.
“This is the first year we’ve done the Guns n’ Hoses program for the fire department and police departments, trying to get more participation and the community to help,” said Joyce Slaughter, a donor recruiter for the Lee Memorial Blood Center.
For the last month, blood drives have been hosted in Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Sanibel Island and Bokeelia. On Wednesday, July 28, a drive is scheduled at North Fort Myers Fire Station 4 at 2900 Trail Dairy Circle, North, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and Thursday, July 29, Cape Coral has its own Guns n’ Hoses event at 1015 Cultural Parkway from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Another drive is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 2, at Cape Coral Fire Station 6 on 4540 Chiquita Blvd., from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The final Guns n’ Hoses event is Friday, Aug. 27, at the Fort Myers Beach Fire Station on 3043 Estero Blvd.
Slaughter said any Guns n’ Hoses donors receive a free T-shirt and a coupon for Dairy Queen.
Turnout for the events has been good, she said, but the local blood center wants residents to keep donating because all of the blood collected stays within the Lee Memorial Health System to support four hospital campuses, as well as the Trauma Center, The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Regional Cancer Center.
“The need for blood is always here every day,” she said.
Donating blood is a quick and easy process, she said, and is rewarding for local residents to know that they helped save a life. Overall, the blood center is estimating they will collect over 6,000 units of blood this summer, but the health system needs approximately 500 donors each week to keep up with local need.