Firefighters Give Gift of Life

Winter Haven, Fla., (January 14, 2014) – When blood donors roll up their sleeves today at the City of Auburndale Fire Station, they’ll be the first to save lives on board Winter Haven Hospital Community Blood Centers new 40 foot bloodmobile. The bloodmobile is complete with new equipment, spacious registration area, a hydraulic stabilization system to keep it steady, a surround sound stereo system and enough donation beds to collect blood from five donors at a time.

“Voluntary blood donations ensure that a supply is available when patients need it. The new bus will hopefully allow us to collect donations in an efficient and timely manner while providing a more comfortable experience for donors,” said Kayla Kapp, a recruiter/coordinator for the Winter Haven Hospital Community Blood Center.

The Community Blood Center is the sole supplier of blood to Winter Haven Hospital, Winter Haven Hospital’s Regency Center for Women and Infants, as well as Lake Wales Medical Center. Each unit donated can help up to three patients and it takes approximately 1,500 donors a month to support the blood needs of those facilities.

The Center has a fleet of three bloodmobiles, which collect about 65% of all blood donations. It also operates two fixed site donation locations in Polk County.

Help christen the new bloodmobile and save lives at the City of Auburndale Fire Station on Jan. 14 at 100 Ariana Ave. in Auburndale from 1-4p.m.

Learn more about Winter Haven Hospital’s Community Blood Center or find out when a bloodmobile will be in your area by calling (863) 297-1840.

About Winter Haven Hospital

Established in 1926, Winter Haven Hospital is a 527-bed facility accredited by the Joint Commission. On Aug. 30, 2013, Winter Haven Hospital joined the Tampa Bay area-based BayCare Health System to become the system’s 11th not-for-profit hospital. More than 300 board-certified physicians comprise the medical staff, covering specialties such as stroke, open heart, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency services. In addition, the hospital is recognized as a Magnet Nursing Center of Excellence, a prestigious designation held by less than seven percent of hospitals nationwide. Winter Haven Hospital has more than 2,500 employees, making it east Polk County’s largest private employer, and has been recognized by Polk Works Workforce 2020 as one of the county’s best places to work. Winter Haven Hospital is located at 200 Avenue F NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881 and serves as the major medical center for east Polk County and the U.S. Highway 27/Ridge Corridor. For more information, please call (863) 293-1121 or visit www.winterhavenhospital.org.

About BayCare Health System

BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 11 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient's lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need. BayCare's family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony's, St. Joseph's, St. Joseph's Children's, St. Joseph's Hospital-North, St. Joseph's Women's, South Florida Baptist and Winter Haven Hospital. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.