KINGSTON, Jamaica — A staff blood drive held on Thursday saw staff from telecommunications giant FLOW donate more than 40 units of blood in support of patients who are being treated at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

According to a release from FLOW, the effort was led by the FLOW Foundation, which spearheads an annual blood drive.

“Each year, we get a high level of support for our annual blood drive. We usually employ an aggressive recruitment strategy and internal educational campaign that helps to sensitive our employees to the cause,” shared Errol Miller, Executive Chairman of the FLOW Foundation.

Miller also pointed to an unfortunate incident last year, which saw a member of the FLOW team and her family involved in a serious car accident, which appears to have prompted an increase in support for the drive.

“Last year, the FLOW family pulled together to provide blood donations to assist our colleague and her family who required extensive surgery. The incident opened many eyes and I am happy to report that she has recovered and is now one of our internal blood donation ambassadors,” Miller stated.

Dr Michelle-Ann Richards-Dawson, senior medical officer at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, reportedly visited the drive on Thursday and expressed delight at the effort.

“This is a moving display of corporate support for healthcare and these precious donations will go a far way in assisting with life-saving treatment and procedures at the hospital. While there is always a need for more support in one way or another, we truly have to commend the FLOW team for its consistent efforts over a number of years to provide support for our nation’s children and for healthcare in Jamaica,” Richards-Dawson said.

The FLOW Foundation said its blood drive is the second project related to healthcare that the entity has undertaken over the last two weeks. On July 21, the foundation donated over $1 million in computer equipment to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).