Rumble at the Reserve Blood Drive a Knockout Success

Summa Western Reserve Hospital broke yet another blood donation record and exceeded donor expectations during its “Rumble at the Reserve III” Blood Drive in collaboration with the American Red Cross on August 23rd. With a record turnout of 281 employee and community donors this year, 224 usable pints of blood were collected – surpassing the initiative goal of 194 usable pints.

“There is no better way to show our entire staff’s commitment to improving the health of our community,” said Dr. Eric Espinal, Chairman, Department of Surgery, Summa Western Reserve Hospital. “Voluntarily taking the time and effort to help others is always extraordinary, and when we experience this level of involvement, it is truly amazing.”

"Summer is a vitally important time to donate blood, and we are especially proud of our community’s ability to step up and help,” said Dr. Patrick Blakeslee, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Summa Western Reserve Hospital. “Our record-setting drive, both with number of donors and blood collected, is a fun and valuable way to bring physicians, nurses, staff and community members together for an extremely vital and life-saving effort.”

The “Rumble” event featured Summa Western Reserve Hospital’s Departments of Surgery and Medicine squaring off in a mock boxing match for the title to see which department could bring in the most donors. Donors were invited to choose a hospital department to support during the event. This year’s title went to Dr. Eric Espinal and the Department of Surgery with 141 donors over Dr. Patrick Blakeslee and the Department of Medicine’s 140 donors.

“I am once again extremely proud of the Summa Western Reserve Hospital community and their dedication to this very important health initiative,” said Dr. Robert Kent, president and CEO, Summa Western Reserve Hospital. “Our very successful effort will benefit numerous lives throughout Northeast Ohio, and continue to set an example for others to follow.”

Now in its third year, the Rumble at the Reserve Blood Drive is Summa Western Reserve Hospital’s signature outreach event. Debuting in 2009 as an internal employee blood drive, the event has grown in its success and has continued to break hospital records. In 2010, the drive saw 124 donors. By 2011, that number nearly doubled with 246 registered donors. The American Red Cross also reported that Summa Western Reserve Hospital held two spots on their top 10 hospital blood drives for the Northern Ohio Blood Services Region in 2011.