Metro Health Hospital has won top honors in the Michigan Community Blood Centers annual hospital blood drive.
The Wyoming, Michigan-based general acute care osteopathic teaching hospital increased its donor participation 231 percent during the 2007 Hospital Holiday Challenge. The friendly competition, now its sixth year, had hospitals in Kent and Barry counties recruiting blood donors to help reduce the risk of blood shortages during the holiday season. Metro Health, which was a first-time winner this year, also saw a 340 percent increase in first-time donors.
Hospital rankings in the competition were determined by the percentage increase in the total number of donors and the number of first-time donors on a year-over-year basis. Other hospitals included Saint Mary's Health Care, Spectrum-Butterworth, Spectrum-Blodgett and Pennock Hospital in Hastings. Together, the facilities collected 284 pints of blood during the two-week challenge.
"We are extremely grateful to the local hospitals that participated in the competition by scheduling drives around the holiday season," said Heidi McDaniel, director of donor recruitment for Michigan Community Blood Centers in West Michigan. "That time of year is always one of the most difficult to keep the blood supply flowing in at a steady pace. We work hard to keep the blood donations coming in during the holiday season and appreciate these hospitals boosting our blood supply this year."
Metro Health received a plaque to commemorate its win.