DAYTON — Solvita Blood Center is welcoming the dawning of the New Year with the celebration of January 2024 National and Ohio Blood Donor Awareness Month under the new identity of “Solvita.”

“Solvita honors the support of donors over the past 60 years under our original name Community Blood Center and we are grateful for their continued support to Solvita Blood Center,” said Solvita Vice President for Donor Services Tracy Morgan.

“Our shared mission, and the mission of January Blood Donor Awareness Month, is stronger than ever. Together we are saving lives.”

Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims helped Solvita kick-off observance of National and Ohio January Blood Donor Awareness Month with a celebration event Jan. 4 at the Solvita Dayton Center, 349 S. Main St.

The event featured the induction of Xenia donor Larry Turner into the Fresenius Kabi National Donation Hall of Fame class of 2023. Larry is Solvita’s second-ranked donor with 805 lifetime donations.

Everyone who registers to donate at any Solvita blood drive or the Solvita Dayton Center Jan. 2 through March 2 will receive the “Donor Love” long-sleeve, hoodie shirt, while supplies last. Schedule an appointment to donate with Solvita (formerly Community Blood Center) on the Donor Time app, by calling (937) 461-3220, or at www.donortime.com.

National Blood Donor Awareness Month was proclaimed in 1969 to thank donors and encourage more donations during the winter months when the holidays, severe weather, and seasonal illness make it difficult to maintain a sufficient blood supply.

State Sen. Stephen Huffman (R-5th District), an emergency room physician and a life-long blood donor, introduced legislation in 2017 to designate January as Blood Donor Awareness Month in Ohio. It became law in February 2018 and was first celebrated in January 2019.

Blood donors directly impact the lives of patients in more than 30 hospitals and cancer centers across 18 counties in the Solvita Blood Center region. Solvita must register 350 blood donors every day to meet the needs of its partner hospitals.

Every day, hospitals across our nation need approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells, nearly 5,000 platelet units, and 6,500 plasma units for patients with cancer and other diseases, organ transplant recipients, and trauma victims.

More than 40 percent of whole blood donations goes to hospital patient care, including blood disorders and cancer. Another 17 percent is used in critical care, 15 percent for outpatient care, and 14 percent for surgeries and transplants.

Solvita retired its original name Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services in September 2023. The name comes from “sol” meaning sun and “vita” meaning life. Donors help Solvita bring the light of healing to patients in local hospitals through blood donations and to patients around the globe in need of tissue transplants.

The Solvita tagline “From One to Many” states how the selfless gift of a single donor radiates in many directions, impacting countless lives.