Medline Celebrates Decades of Donating Blood with Employee’s 100th Donation

Blood donations are often considered the gift of life, because they have the potential to save lives. Medline employee Rhonda Hinks has been giving this gift since 1988, after a colleague she knew was diagnosed with cancer. On Dec. 19 she surpassed a new milestone in her journey by giving her 100th donation during a blood drive hosted at Medline. Her collective donations may have touched upwards of 300 people in need of life-saving blood transfusions.

“It’s an eye opener when you know someone who is in need of blood and platelets and that you have the power to help,” said Rhonda. “I get great joy out of giving platelets as well because I know that in most cases there’s a cancer patient who is going to be receiving them in the next two to three days.”

For over 30 years, Medline has partnered with Vitalant, formerly Lifesource, to host donation drives and rally employees like Hinks to participate. In 2019, Medline hosted 12 blood drives in Illinois and 698 pints of blood were collected. One whole donation, made up of 1 pint, can help save up to three lives.

“The most rewarding part of the experience is knowing how much of an impact these donations really have in the community. We’re helping ensure that people who need a transfusion can get what they need, a measure that could save their lives,” said Medline employee Jay Dionisio, who has coordinated Medline’s blood drives for the past several years.

Since 2002, the company has collaborated with Vitalant, the largest blood center in the Chicagoland area, to host close to 150 drive campaigns, which have helped thousands of patients at Chicago-area hospitals. Campaigns spread across multiple company locations, including Medline’s headquarters in Northfield, and its Waukegan and Mundelein facilities.

“We honor milestone donors such as Rhonda for their commitment to saving lives through blood donation,” said Eva Quinley, regional director, Vitalant Illinois. “Every person considering blood donation needs to know that every milestone donor started with just one donation.”

Hinks’ commitment to donating blood has inspired her 17-year-old granddaughter Gabby Gaynor to do the same. Engaging younger generations like hers is increasingly vital to combatting the decline of new blood donors, which has dropped 30 percent globally as baby boomers have been aging out.

Supporting blood donations is just one of the many ways Medline and its employees give back to the communities they serve. Other ways employees take action are through volunteering, participating in events and donating to worthy organizations in support of those less fortunate.

Learn more about how Medline is giving back to the communities it serves.

Visit Vitalant.org for more information about blood donation.