Need for Blood Ongoing



Tuesday editorials (catching up just a bit):

It’s hard to beat the value of donating blood. It takes only a donor’s time, and the gift is soon replenished by the donor’s own body, to give once again. That generosity will be even more rewarded this week, as donations Tuesday and Wednesday will also trigger a $5 donation to a local food bank.

The American Red Cross S.C. Blood Region is hoping to gain an extra 35 donations a day during the two-day drive, sponsored jointly by Time Warner and The Sun News. It’s the second annual event of its kind, and Paul Kowal, a Red Cross donor recruitment representative, said the goal set by the life-saving agency for this year’s event is a little higher than the total collected last year. For every unit of blood collected, Time Warner will donate $5 to an Horry County food bank. But donors aren’t left out. The Red Cross will be giving a ceramic soup bowl to everybody who participates.

The drive comes at one of the more difficult times of year for blood donations. “It’s something people don’t think about,” Kowal said, “particularly around the holidays. But the need is constant. The need doesn’t go down because it’s a holiday.”

The Grand Strand Donor Center in Myrtle Beach, where the drive is being held, is part of the S.C. Blood Services Region, which serves 54 hospitals, including those in the area. The hospitals typically use 500 units of blood every day, and drives like this one play a vital role in maintaining those supplies.

Blood donors must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be 17 years old. Kowal said 16-year-olds may be donors with parental consent. Donors need photo identification or their Red Cross donor card.

Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Qualified donors will be contributing to the crucial blood supply and indirectly to hungry residents.

To give

When | Noon to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday

Where | Grand Strand Donor Center, 7747 N. Kings Highway in Northwoods Plaza, Myrtle Beach

Appointments | Call 1-800-RED CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org and use sponsor keyword thanks4givingmb

 

 

Kudos to Haley

We’ve certainly done our share of knocking Gov. Nikki Haley this year, particularly when it comes to matters involving transparency, the signature issue of her campaign. So when the governor’s office does something positive in that arena, it’s only fair to give credit where credit is due.

After a number of well-publicized hiccups involving missing or deleted emails from her office, the governor wisely chose last week to work toward a new policy, in cooperation with the state’s Department of Archives and History.

According to the release sent out by the governor’s office, “The updated policy, which will be finalized and released in January, will include retaining all records, including the governor’s and staff e-mail, which are of long-term and enduring value as required by law and defined by DAH.”

This is a great step forward for public transparency in our state. While the ability and the right to read the governor’s emails may seem like small potatoes when it comes to keeping tabs on our leaders, these records of our officials’ thoughts can provide important and intriguing insights into how our state government functions. For evidence of this, we need look no further than the series of emails uncovered by the Charleston Post & Courier, which included a missive from Haley directing the outcome of what was supposed to be an independent panel. But we digress.

The new policy, which is expected to be extended to include guidance to all public agencies, will be another important tool for citizens to keep government accountable, and for that we thank our governor.

“We have also found room for strengthening the policy,” Haley said in announcing the change, “and, as we always do, when we see something that needs to be fixed, we fix it. … It’s the right thing to do.”

Yes, governor. On this we wholeheartedly agree.

 

 

The American Red Cross S.C. Blood Region is hoping to gain an extra 35 donations a day during the two-day drive, sponsored jointly by Time Warner and The Sun News. It’s the second annual event of its kind, and Paul Kowal, a Red Cross donor recruitment representative, said the goal set by the life-saving agency for this year’s event is a little higher than the total collected last year. For every unit of blood collected, Time Warner will donate $5 to an Horry County food bank. But donors aren’t left out. The Red Cross will be giving a ceramic soup bowl to everybody who participates.

The drive comes at one of the more difficult times of year for blood donations. “It’s something people don’t think about,” Kowal said, “particularly around the holidays. But the need is constant. The need doesn’t go down because it’s a holiday.”

The Grand Strand Donor Center in Myrtle Beach, where the drive is being held, is part of the S.C. Blood Services Region, which serves 54 hospitals, including those in the area. The hospitals typically use 500 units of blood every day, and drives like this one play a vital role in maintaining those supplies.

Blood donors must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be 17 years old. Kowal said 16-year-olds may be donors with parental consent. Donors need photo identification or their Red Cross donor card.

Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Qualified donors will be contributing to the crucial blood supply and indirectly to hungry residents.

To give

When | Noon to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday

Where | Grand Strand Donor Center, 7747 N. Kings Highway in Northwoods Plaza, Myrtle Beach

Appointments | Call 1-800-RED CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org and use sponsor keyword thanks4givingmb

 

 

Kudos to Haley

We’ve certainly done our share of knocking Gov. Nikki Haley this year, particularly when it comes to matters involving transparency, the signature issue of her campaign. So when the governor’s office does something positive in that arena, it’s only fair to give credit where credit is due.

After a number of well-publicized hiccups involving missing or deleted emails from her office, the governor wisely chose last week to work toward a new policy, in cooperation with the state’s Department of Archives and History.

According to the release sent out by the governor’s office, “The updated policy, which will be finalized and released in January, will include retaining all records, including the governor’s and staff e-mail, which are of long-term and enduring value as required by law and defined by DAH.”

This is a great step forward for public transparency in our state. While the ability and the right to read the governor’s emails may seem like small potatoes when it comes to keeping tabs on our leaders, these records of our officials’ thoughts can provide important and intriguing insights into how our state government functions. For evidence of this, we need look no further than the series of emails uncovered by the Charleston Post & Courier, which included a missive from Haley directing the outcome of what was supposed to be an independent panel. But we digress.

The new policy, which is expected to be extended to include guidance to all public agencies, will be another important tool for citizens to keep government accountable, and for that we thank our governor.

“We have also found room for strengthening the policy,” Haley said in announcing the change, “and, as we always do, when we see something that needs to be fixed, we fix it. … It’s the right thing to do.”

Yes, governor. On this we wholeheartedly agree.