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Cascade Regional Blood Services calls Bob Annon one of its super stars.

Annon celebrated his 30th anniversary of donating platelets Nov. 12 at Cascade’s Tacoma Donor Center by giving his 78th gallon. He began donating platelets on Nov. 11, 1982, and has donated more units than any other Cascade (CRBS) donor on record.

CRBS relies upon volunteer blood donors, like Annon, to ensure a constant supply of blood and blood components for the hospitals and clinics the agency serves. CRBS is the sole provider of blood and blood products to MultiCare Health System and Franciscan Health System hospitals and clinics in Pierce County and south King County. The supply includes community blood drives by CRBS throughout the region, as well as donations at its donor centers in Tacoma, Puyallup and Federal Way.

The Puyallup center is in a new location, which is where the Boergers, a Puyallup family, made their bi-monthly blood donations Nov. 15. The family has been dedicated blood donors for a long time. But when Richard Boerger, 18 at the time, was diagnosed with leukemia and could no longer donate blood, the family started donating as a group with friends in Richard’s honor. Every two months, like clockwork, the family recruits friends to come donate with them, CRBS officials said. Since 2008, the Boergers and their friends have donated more than 13 gallons of blood.

The new Puyallup Donor Center opened Oct. 29 at the Meeker’s Landing building at 615 E. Pioneer, near the Meeker Mansion. CRBS officials said the move provides more space for donors and improved service for the community.

“We are thrilled to have a new space that will be more comfortable for donors and helps us better meet the needs of the hospitals we serve,” said Christine Swinehart, president of CRBS.

CRBS first opened a center in Puyallup in 1980 to serve east Pierce County and what is now MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital.

Bob Annon gives one of the the 78 gallons of blood he has donated since 1982 through Cascade Regional Blood Services. (CRBS/courtesy photo)
Bob Annon gives one of the the 78 gallons of blood he has donated since 1982 through Cascade Regional Blood Services. (CRBS/courtesy photo)
srmedia by — January 17, 2013 in Everything Else

Anyone who's 50 or older is among the groups of people that health officials urge to get a flu shot.
Anyone who’s 50 or older is among the groups of people that health officials urge to get a flu shot.

Flu season is here. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department offers the following advice on avoding the bug:

Flu viruses are constantly changing. Each flu season, different flu viruses can spread, and they can affect people differently based on the virus and on their body’s ability to fight infection. Some flu seasons are worse than others, and there is no way to predict how severe the flu season will be. Each year, a new flu vaccine is made from the three viruses that are expected to be present during the season. Two of the three viruses have changed from last season, but the 2009 influenza A/H1N1 virus antigen remains in the 2012-2013 vacccine. (An antigen is the substance that your body recognizes and uses to form protective antibodies.)

Who should get the flu shot?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone over age 6 months get the flu vaccine, with important exceptions. People with severe allegy to egg, people who have had a serious reaction to a flu shot in the past, and people who have had a very rare nervous system condition called Guillian-Barre syndrome should not get the flu vaccine.

If I got a flu shot last year, do I need one again this year?

Yes, you need a flu shot every year.

When should I get vaccinated?

You should get vaccinated as soon as flu vaccine becomes available, but there’s still a health benefit in getting a flu shot at any time during the flu season. In the Pacific Northwest, flu activity is usually at its highest level in January or February, and sometimes later. During the 2011-2012 season, we saw very little flu activity until March and April.

Do children need more than one dose of flu vaccine per year?

In general, children under age 9 need two doses of flu vaccine at least four weeks apart during the first year they receive the vaccination. This season, it is recommended that children under age 9 get two flu vaccine doses if they have not received at least two seasonal flu vaccines since July 2010. This is to ensure that young children receive enough of the 2009 influenza A/H1N1 vaccine to offer the best protection.

Are there side effects to the vaccine?

Yes, but most people usually do not have any side effects. When they do happen, side effects are usually mild. The most common side effects are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot is given. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

The effectiveness of the flu vaccine depends on the match between the flu vaccine and the types of flu viruses that are circulating that year. If there is a good match, the flu vaccine is 70-90 percent effective in healthy adults. Flu vaccine is generally somewhat less effective in elderly persons and very young children, but vaccination can still prevent serious complications from the flu.

What are the different types of flu vaccine?

Currently, two types of flu vaccine exist:  The flu shot (also call inactivated flu vaccine, it’s made up of killed viruses, can’t give you the flu, and should be given to children 6 months to age 2, people age 50 years and older, pregnant women, and anyone with any health problems or chronic conditions such as diabetes or asthma). And nasal spray vaccine (also called live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) trade name FluMist, it’s made of live flu viruses that have been changed and weakened so it can’t give healthy people the flu, is for healthy children and non-pregnant adults between the ages of 2 and 49.

srmedia by — January 8, 2013 in Everything Else

Pierce Conservation District is offering 29 species of plants native to western Washington during its 22nd annual Native Plant Sale Jan. 18.

Species include six to 24-inch conifers such as western red cedar, Douglas fir and noble fir, 10 to 12-inch deciduous trees such as Pacific crabapple, paper birch  and bitter cherry, ground covers such as kinnikinnick, coastal strawberry and salal, and wild species such as evergreen huckleberry, mock orange and red flowering currant.

Prices range from $6 to $20 per bundle of five to 10 plants. Pre-orders will be taken until Jan. 18 and will be available for pickup March 1 and 2 at the district office in Puyallup. Prices range from $6 – $20 per bundle of five to ten plants.

Information, including order forms, are available at (253) 845-9770 (extension 106) and www.piercecountycd.org

srmedia by — January 2, 2013 in Everything Else

The Service to Armed Forces Department of the American Red Cross in Tacoma collected 4,074 holiday greeting cards for the Holiday Mail for Heroes program to distribute to local National Guardsmen and Reservists, as well as service members in Afghanistan, during the holiday season in December.

The cards were signed by residents of retirement communities, Tacoma businesspersons, Tacoma Public Schools students, local Girl Scout troops, church members in Olympia, and Wal-Mart and Westfield Capital Mall shoppers.

Also sending their greetings by signing the cards were Governor Chris Gregoire, state Rep. Laurie Jinkins, board members of the Mount Rainier Chapter of Red Cross that includes Pierce and Kitsap counties, members of The American Legion, and military leaders.

The cards are a “simple, yet very meaningful tradition of giving thanks to those who have sacrificed so much,” said Tracy Peacock, chapter executive of the Mount Rainier Chapter.

Once Red Cross received the cards that were sent in by the public, Pitney Bowes Inc. scanned them to ensure safety and security. Red Cross volunteers sorted and delivered them to military installations, Veterans Administration and military hospitals, and veterans’ organizations in the United States and overseas.

srmedia by — January 2, 2013 in Everything Else