January is National Blood Donor Month. By giving blood you can become a hero and save lives. With UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Center, the blood collected in Northern Colorado supports patients in Northern Colorado.

They have two locations (Fort Collins, Loveland) and they also have two buses that they can take to different locations. So if the people can't come to them, they can come to the people.

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I interviewed Anna Johnson, Blood Center Manager, about blood donation. When I asked her which hospitals they supply, she said "We currently supply Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of The Rockies, Longspeak Hospital, Greeley Hospital, and the hospital in Estes Park. Occasionally we can send some inventory to Denver."

All blood types are needed. The top needs are O's, A's (which is what most people are in our population), and platelets. After your first donation, you can call the Garth Englund Blood Center and ask for your blood type if you don't know it. That is always something good to know about yourself.

In our interview, Anna walks us through the process of donating. "All in all I would say a whole blood donation can take between 30-45 minutes in total," said Johnson. To schedule an appointment for donation, you can search for Garth Englund Blood Center to find the nearest one to you.

Johnson added "Even donating one time does save lives. I think it is really rare that we can do something completely selfless for a stranger, but not just any stranger, a stranger in your own community."

Learn more about UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Center by listening to the full "Tuned in to NoCo" interview with Anna Johnson below.

Teacher Tuesday: January

Townsquare Media's Teacher Tuesday has been recognizing teachers who have skillfully adapted to the times and kept our Northern Colorado children learning all school year. We've only just returned from the holidays, but teachers and education staff are already working hard, and they deserve a prize for all they do.

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