Health Conscious Heroes

09/21/2012
By David M. Thomas, ASBP Blood Donor Recruiter, and Maj Molly Burke, Chief of Blood Services

Defense Contract Management Agency employee Dan Ernst gives a thumbs up as Airman 1st Class Brenton Nix completes his phlebotomy before sending him over to have his free health screening.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has many great services that support the community and the mission. Two of those services—the Wright-Patterson Blood Donor Center and the Civilian Health Promotions Services—recently teamed up to help save lives.

Once each year, the Civilian Health Promotions Services program at Wright-Patterson provides free finger-stick cholesterol screenings and health information to any Department of Defense civilian employee. Though they primarily work out of the Health and Wellness Center at Wright-Field Fitness Center, like the blood donor center team, they also go directly to organizations across the base.

“We had a few places where we would set up to provide our service in conjunction with a blood drive but it wasn’t a coordinated effort,” said Katie Doyle, the Health Promotions Coordinator for the program." But after noticing increased participation on those days, Doyle made an effort to make it happen more often.

“I had already been tracking some of the blood drives where we had found ourselves working alongside them and I looked to repeat those, but I also wanted to find more of those opportunities and contacted the donor recruiter to see what we could do,” she said. “This was the first one that we actually coordinated. It was a success; we definitely saw our regulars and we had some new faces drawn in by the blood drive.”

Dan Ernst, an employee at the Defense Contact Management Agency was one of those new faces. “This is actually my first time [working] with both programs,” he said. “I came down to donate blood but I plan to have the screening as well. It’s always nice to be able to help people like this, without leaving the office.”

“I did not realize there was a military blood collection program. It was pretty quick and simple and for a good cause. I like being able to help other and being able to help myself is a nice bonus,” said Ernst.

Neil Corliss described himself as an occasional donor, donating blood only once per year. “I have never donated with the Armed Services Blood Program before,” he said. “I think this is a very nice benefit to working on base. It really shows that they care.”

Although this was his first donation to the military blood program, Corliss said it wasn’t his first introduction to the Civilian Health Promotions Services. “I did the cholesterol screening last year but I had no idea there was a military blood program on base. I plan on being a regular donor now though. Not only is it convenient, it was quick, simple and for a good cause,” he said.

“We had steady traffic for the duration of the drive,” said Andrew Powell, the blood drive supervisor. “I noticed an increased turnout in the past when we were set up with, or near, the health screening. I am glad to hear we will be doing it more often.”

This Defense Contract Management Agency blood drive provided its employees a chance to help themselves while also helping others. In the blood collection world they say donating is already helping both; and this arrangement took it to a whole new level!

To find out more about the Armed Services Blood Program or to make an appointment, please visit us online: www.militaryblood.dod.mil. To interact with some of our staff, see more photos or to get the latest news, you can visit us here: www.facebook.com/militaryblood, www.flickr.com/militaryblood or www.twitter.com/militaryblood.

To learn about the Civilian Health Promotions Services they can be reached at (937) 904-9359 or CHPSWrightPatterson@foh.hhs.gov as well as visiting the AFMC Wellness Support Center at www.AFMCWellness.com for more information.