Give Blood, Save Lives

JAMESTOWN, Tenn: On October 17, 2025, the heart of Fentress County will beat a little stronger. In partnership with the American Red Cross, Presley Healthcare and the team behind the long running Jamestown Community Blood Drive are joining forces to host a local event aimed at saving lives, one donation at a time.

The drive will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at First Baptist Jamestown, located at 306 E. Central Avenue. Donors can make appointments online at redcrossblood.org using sponsor code jamestown19 or call 1-800-RED CROSS for more information.

For Presley Healthcare, this initiative is more than a calendar event, it’s a reflection of purpose.

“Presley Healthcare is committed to strengthening our community, their healthcare needs, and helping meet hospital and patient needs through blood donations,” said Kelly Judd, Director of Operations.

The blood drive has become a long standing tradition in Jamestown thanks to the leadership of long-time local organizer Sharon Gunter and her dedicated team. This drive, with Presley Healthcare joining the cause, organizers are hoping to deepen their impact.

“Our mission within our organization is to make your health our priority. This is just another way of keeping our focus on that mission in this rural community and giving staff, colleagues and neighbors an opportunity to help save lives,” Judd added.

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

According to the Red Cross, blood is a perishable resource that cannot be manufactured, it must be donated by volunteers. Hospitals rely on a steady supply to treat trauma victims, surgical patients, cancer fighters, and those living with chronic illnesses.

Donors of all blood types are essential. But there's a particular urgency for types O negative, A negative, and B negative blood groups that are either universal donors or used in emergencies when there's no time to type match.

“We urge community members to donate blood and help ensure that patients in local hospitals have a supply ready and waiting before an emergency occurs,” said Judd. “There’s no better feeling than knowing your blood donation may give someone a second chance at life.”

Presley Healthcare is no stranger to Fentress County or to meeting the needs of rural healthcare.

With three medical clinics located in Fentress County, Acute Care Clinics in Jamestown and Clarkrange, and Primary Care of Jamestown, the newest Rural Health Clinic in Jamestown, the organization has steadily grown into a lifeline for thousands across Middle and East Tennessee Communities.

“At Presley Healthcare, we are proud to stand at the forefront of modern healthcare,” said Judd. “With an unwavering commitment to excellence and patient centered care, we are redefining how communities experience healthcare, however our truest impact comes when we can meet people where they are, in their communities, in their lives.”

In a time when sweeping healthcare challenges often make headlines, the Jamestown Community Blood Drive is a humble yet powerful reminder of what grassroots action can achieve. It’s a story not just of needles and collection bags, but of neighbors showing up for neighbors.

As the doors of First Baptist Jamestown open on October 17th, volunteers will ready their stations, nurses will prepare collection bags, and neighbors will roll up their sleeves. In doing so, they will be adding to a quiet but powerful legacy.

In Jamestown, helping others and saving lives is not just something people talk about, it’s something they do.

Media Contact for Presley Healthcare:

Kelly Judd

Director of Operations

931-879-3953

kelly@presleyhealthcare.org