Carson Valley Medical Center’s clinical laboratory will host a blood drive in conjunction with Vitalant (formerly United Blood Services) on Friday, Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon.

The bloodmobile will be on CVMC’s main hospital campus, 1107 Highway 395 N in Gardnerville, taking the donations. Call the lab at 775-782-1536 to schedule a donation or visit BloodHero.com>Donate Blood and enter sponsor code “CVMC.”

 10 things you may not know about this lifesaving act

1 Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.

2 A donation equals about 1 pint of blood and usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes to draw.

3 A single car crash survivor can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

4 The average adult has about 10 pints of blood in his or her body.

5 Type O blood is the most needed for donation because it can be used in people with all blood types.

6 All donated blood is tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and other infectious diseases.

7 You can donate either whole blood or specific components of blood: red cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate.

8 Most donated red blood cells must be used within 42 days after they’re collected.

9 Donated platelets must be used within five days of collection.

10 One donation can potentially save up to three lives.

Source: American Red Cross