Baptist Health Paducah staff donates blood to close centennial service
(PADUCAH, KY) Dec. 8, 2024 - Baptist Health Paducah staff, providers, and others rolled up their sleeves to give the gift of life for the holidays, donating 54 units of blood—including contributions from 25 first-time donors—during the health system’s centennial blood drive.
The hospital partnered with the Kentucky Blood Center to provide these blood drives to the community. This time of year, blood donations are especially needed due to the busy holiday season.
"Giving back to our community has always been at the heart of what we do at Baptist Health," said Debbie Taffer, System Associate Vice President of Laboratory Services. "Hosting this blood drive during our centennial celebration is a powerful way to honor 100 years of service while helping ensure lifesaving blood is available during a critical time of year. We are incredibly grateful to our staff, providers, and community members who stepped forward to make a difference."
The winter months are when blood is most needed as holiday celebrations, illness and poor weather can deter donors.
In 2024, Baptist Health celebrates its 100th anniversary and is marking each month with a health-related “gift” to its communities, referred to as “100 Days of Service.” In November, Baptist Health Paducah hosted a lung cancer screening clinic at its Strawberry Hills Imaging Center.
In all, Baptist Health notched well over its 100 Days of Service goal, with 157 days at last count.
This year-long series of impactful community events included: health screenings, donation drives, educational fairs, and service projects. From hosting a heart health fair and donating 175 pounds of food to combat hunger, to providing flu vaccines, conducting lung and stroke screenings, cleaning up local parks, and organizing a baby supply drive. This year has exemplified Baptist Health’s dedication to serving others and fostering the health and well-being of our communities.
The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville opened its doors in November 1924 following years of rallying community support and fundraising. Baptist Health has since expanded to nine hospitals and more than 2,700 licensed beds, reaching nearly 75 percent of Kentucky residents and a wide swath of southern Indiana.
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Baptist Health Paducah is a regional medical and referral center serving about 200,000 patients a year from four states. With more than 1,300 employees and 260 physicians, it offers 44 points of care with a full range of services, including cardiac and cancer care, diagnostic imaging, women’s and children’s services, surgery, emergency treatment, rehabilitation, and more. It has the region’s first heart center and only accredited chest pain center and certified stroke center with 24/7 neurohospitalist coverage, as well as Paducah’s only comprehensive cancer center and Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care unit. Baptist Health Paducah has a network of healthcare providers for patients in western Kentucky and southern Illinois — from Baptist Health Medical Group physician offices to Baptist Health Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine locations.
The hospital is also designated Pathway to Excellence® for excellence in nursing services by the American Nursing Credentialing Center. It opened in 1953 as Western Baptist Hospital and changed its name in early 2013, along with other facilities in Baptist Health, the largest not-for-profit healthcare systems in Kentucky. Learn more at BaptistHealth.com/Paducah.