DAYTON, Ohio – Honor October Breast Cancer Awareness Month by donating blood to help fight cancer at the Mercer Health Mercer County Community Hospital monthly community blood drive Tuesday, Oct. 15 from noon to 6 p.m. at 800 West Main St., Coldwater.

Schedule a blood donation with Solvita (formerly Community Blood Center) on the Donor Time app, by calling (937) 461-3220, or at www.donortime.com.

Cancer and its treatment can damage blood cells causing many cancer patients to rely on regular blood and platelet transfusions to help them survive. One fourth of all blood donations in the U.S. goes to help cancer patients.

Everyone who registers to donate with Solvita Oct. 1 through Nov. 2 receives the “Fight Cancer” October Breast Cancer Awareness Month t-shirt. Register to donate at any Solvita blood drive Sept. 30 through Oct. 26 to be automatically entered in the drawing to win two tickets to the Ohio State vs. Michigan game Nov. 30 in Columbus.

You can save time while helping save lives by using “DonorXPress” to complete the donor questionnaire before arriving at a blood drive. Find DonorXPress on the Donor Time App or at www.solvita.org/donorxpress.

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Blood donation requirements:  Donors are required to provide a photo ID that includes their full name.  Past Solvita donors are also asked to bring their Solvita donor ID card.  Donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 years old with parental consent: form available at www.solvita.org or at the Dayton Donation Center and mobile blood drive locations), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds (you may have to weigh more depending on your height), and be in good physical health.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changes blood donor eligibility guidelines periodically.  Individuals with eligibility questions can email canidonate@solvita.org or call (937) 461-3220. Make an appointment at www.DonorTime.com.

Solvita is an independent, not-for-profit organization with the mission of taking life further and making a lasting impact on the world by providing lifesaving and life-enhancing blood products and tissue grafts.

As a regional blood center headquartered in Dayton, Ohio Solvita collects, processes, and provides blood products to partner hospitals and health centers within our 18-county service area of western Ohio and eastern Indiana and to select hospitals and blood centers outside the region.

As a global tissue center Solvita provides services to donor families, medical communities, recipients, OPOs, and community partners through recovery, processing, and distribution of tissue grafts. We are a national tissue network with locations in Dayton, Ohio (Corporate Office); Fort Worth, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Toledo, Ohio; and Boise, Idaho. For more information visit www.Solvita.org.