For John Elliott, blood bank supervisor at Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC), this is a busy month.

January has been declared National Blood Donor Month by U.S. President Bill Clinton, and already things are in full swing at MGMC.

“This is the first time we have ever used National Blood Donor Month as publicity,” Elliott said.

MGMC holds a mobile Blood Drive at least one to three times a month, and on the whole, they have been successful, Elliott said.

“I know that some people do donate blood, because there are a lot of people like myself that have needed it in the past,” he said.

MGMC has a well-equipped facility, making it possible to do everything from drawing to testing the blood at the hospital.

“However, there are fewer and fewer hospitals that are like Mary Greeley that can actually have everything all done in the hospital,” he said.

MGMC has to draw about 250 units of blood a month to meet the needs of the hospital, said Elliott, and about 180 to 280 units of blood are transfused each month.

One unit is equivalent to about a pint, and the process of drawing and testing blood usually takes about 30-45 minutes, he said.

The blood is put to immediate use.

“We just draw blood to fit the needs of the Ames community,” Elliott said.

The blood is used right at MGMC, rather than being transferred out to hospitals in other areas or regions.

MGMC actively encourages people to participate, Elliott said, noting that hospital personnel go all over the Iowa State campus and visit various businesses to promote the blood drive.

The greek system at ISU also has an annual blood drive.

“The Greek Week blood drive is being held from March 31-April 3,” Interfraternity Council President Stuart Sorrell, said.

The blood drive is well-publicized and past participation has been strong, Sorrell said.

“All the fraternities and sororities get points toward Greek Week for donating blood, so each fraternity and sorority usually tries to get at least about 85 percent of the people in each house to participate,” Sorrell said.

The greek system as a whole has a goal of getting about 1,500 to 2,000 people to donate blood, Sorrell said.

He said part of the reason why the Greek Week blood drive is so successful is the location.

The blood drive is held in the Memorial Union, and a majority of ISU students find out about the blood drive just by walking through the Union, he said.

The various Greek organizations also promote the blood drive with fliers, and with the “points packet” that each fraternity and sorority receives about the blood drive.

The blood drive is held once a year, always close to springtime, and it is part of a joint effort by other various blood banks in Iowa.