NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Each day, they help save lives while on the job and now, they're teaming up with the American Red Cross, Saint Thomas Health, a part of Ascension, and the Tennessee Titans to help save lives off the job.

Join the Davidson County Metro Police, Sheriff's Office and Fire Department as they go head-to-head in a friendly competition to benefit hospital patients, by donating blood at the Saint Thomas Health "Give & Get" Battle of the Badges blood drive, hosted by the Tennessee Titans on Monday, July 18 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nissan Stadium, East, (located to the right of the Titans Stadium Pro Shop), 1 Titans Way, Nashville. DKMS, (formerly Delete Blood Cancer), will be on hand to register potential bone marrow donors and 104.5 The Zone will broadcast live.

All presenting donors will receive a free commemorative T-shirt, while supplies last. Additionally, presenting donors will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win pairs of Tennessee Titans, Nashville Sounds & Music City Bowl tickets; a HDMX Bluetooth Speaker; 7" Android Tablet; Sony HD Headphones and Tactical and Hiking gift packages.

Honoring law enforcement, while helping to save lives through blood donation, is a long- standing tradition in Nashville. This drive marks an eight-year partnership with the Red Cross. "We are proud to be a sponsor of such an important, lifesaving event," said Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall. The friendly competition has made this blood drive one of the largest in middle Tennessee and given us a greater awareness of the crucial role we all play in giving the gift of life."

The Battle of the Badges blood drive comes at an important time when the American Red Cross is experiencing a significant blood shortage and is issuing an emergency request for eligible blood donors of all blood types to roll up a sleeve now and help save lives. While summer blood shortages are not uncommon, they can be overcome when generous volunteers roll up their sleeves to restock the shelves.

How to donate blood

Schedule your appointment by calling 1-800-RED CROSS, downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App or visiting redcrossblood.org and using sponsor code: DavidsonBob. Walk-ins are welcome.

A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check- in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a home or work computer prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

About Saint Thomas Health

Saint Thomas Health is Middle Tennessee's faith-based, not-for-profit health care system united as one healing community. With more than 6,500 associates, Saint Thomas Health is focused on transforming the health care experience and helping people live healthier lives, with special attention to the poor and vulnerable. The regional health system includes – Saint Thomas Hospital for Spinal Surgery, Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital and Saint Thomas West Hospital in Nashville, Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro and Saint Thomas Hickman Hospital in Centerville – as well as four hospitals in the Capella-Saint Thomas Health network. A comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities complement the hospital services and cover a 68-county area. Saint Thomas Health is a member of Ascension Health, a Catholic organization that is the largest not-for-profit health system in the United States. For more information, visit www.STHealth.com.

About Ascension

Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all with special attention to persons in poverty and struggling the most. In FY2015, Ascension provided nearly $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Approximately 150,000 associates and 35,000 aligned providers serve in 1,900 sites of care – including 129 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to healthcare delivery, Ascension subsidiaries provide a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, treasury management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension's own group purchasing organization.

About DKMS

DKMS is part of the world's largest network of donor centers. Our mission is to build the number of suitable bone marrow and stem cell donors, because we believe that no life should be lost due to an inability to find a donor match. We have registered more than 6 million potential donors and facilitated more than 55,000 transplants around the world. But we're not stopping there. We lead the fight against blood cancer by working with families, communities and organizations to recruit donors and provide more patients with second chances at life. For more information or to register as a bone marrow donor, please visit DeleteBloodCancer.org.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.