Looking for blood donors by SMS

The Blood Center, the state's largest blood center, will launch a pilot program -- the first of its kind in the US -- enabling the organization to directly alert specific blood donors and volunteers in "real time" via wireless text messaging, according to an AT&T company press release.

AT&T Wireless is funding a text-messaging pilot for six months to help the
Blood Center target type O blood donors -- a blood type that is in the
greatest demand. Type O blood is considered the "universal donor" and can be
transfused into any patient in an emergency.

The Blood Center will recruit existing donors but interested participants can register for the program by visiting http://www.psbc.org starting at the end of October, 2004.

Related articles and services:

-- Want to donate blood? Just SMS  - A "Be a Blood Donor — Save a life" campaign was launched in Chennai (India) to encourage donors to sign up by texting in their blood type to a designated short code.

-- Kiss a Vampire - In January 2001, a campaign by The UK National Blood Service, invited university students to come "Kiss a Vampire" (none other than Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of TV cult series "Buffy and the Vampires") in an effort to recruit blood donors.

emily | 7:30 PM | Health Issues and SMS Alerts |
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