There are many things within our county in which residents should take great pride, recognizing their value and their uniqueness. Sampson Regional Medical Center and its blood donor program are at the top of that list.

One of only a handful of independent, community-based hospitals remaining in North Carolina, Sampson Regional is also one of a select few community hospitals with its own blood bank.

Now we can boast that the community hospital has its own blood mobile, too, increasing our pride in an operation that has served this community well for 75 years.

Earlier this week, hospital staff, residents and blood donors gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, officially adding the new blood mobile to the medical facility’s vast offerings.

This is far more than just another vehicle added to a fleet; this is a progressive step for the hospital and this community, making blood donations easily accessible to all parts of Sampson County. And that means opportunities to give the gift of life just increased seven-fold.

Amber Halstead, the hospital’s vice president of business development, said it best when addressing those gathered Tuesday: “… as we cut this ribbon, we are not just growing our service, we are strengthening our community’s healthcare resources and expanding the opportunity to give blood and ultimately save lives.”

Once a bookmobile with a similar purpose of reaching into the community, the hospital’s new mobile blood bank opens up opportunities for businesses, churches and schools to utilize the service in their particular area of Sampson without having to travel to the hospital to donate life-giving blood. What’s more, it provides greater availability for blood donations during community events, like street fairs and various fundraisers.

At its core, the blood mobile, which will be manned by a lab technician and phlebotomist, can become the catalyst for increased donations in a community whose population is expanding, making the need for blood even greater.

Of course, the key to the blood mobile’s success is how the community utilizes it.

According to Natalie Lamb, laboratory director at Sampson Regional, the blood mobile should be on the road by next week. It is our hope residents, businesses, churches and civic groups will keep it busy, filling up parking lots with people eager to help their neighbor in the best way one can possibly give — donating blood.

As Halstead stressed Tuesday, there really is no substitute for the gift of blood. And, with the need for a readily available blood supply, there really is no greater need than donations that will keep the supply steady.

The blood mobile ensures we can maintain a healthy supply of blood if we utilize it as hospital staff believe we will.

We thank those at Sampson Regional for a continued vision that increases health services to our community. It is a vision that began over 75 years ago, when local leaders first dreamed of opening a community hospital in Sampson County. That vision became a reality in 1950, when the ribbon was cut on what was then Sampson Memorial Hospital. From 41 personnel and a 20-member medical staff in the 1950s, the hospital is now one of the county’s largest organizations, employing nearly 600 people.

Dr. Carl Barr is correct in saying that we have always been the envy of many people because of our blood bank and our hospital.

Too often we take for granted what others envy, but the truth is, we are, indeed fortunate to have both a wonderful hospital and a wonderful blood donor program that was just made even better.