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Red Cross Urges Year Round Blood Donations
Written by
Lesly C. Hallman
, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Thursday, January 27, 2005 — The winter months are traditionally a challenging time for blood centers, and the American Red Cross encourages the public to make blood donation a regular part of life no matter what the time of year.
Each winter, blood banks deal with a change in the blood supply around the country, as winter travel takes people away from school and work, where they often participate in blood drives. During the school year, donations from high school and college students account for approximately 15 percent of Red Cross blood collections. On winter breaks, these groups become tougher to reach. Lots of donors also give blood during office blood drives, which see smaller turnouts due to winter vacations.
Blood goes through testing at a Red Cross testing lab. |
All the while, the need for blood remains constant. Volunteer blood donations help patients being treated for accidents, routine surgeries and serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease and hemophilia. Without the generosity of blood donors, severe shortages can impact their treatment and, in the most extreme cases, cause the delay of surgeries.
Despite the fact that giving blood is easy, safe and takes less than one hour, only 5 percent of eligible Americans donate blood. To donate blood, one must be healthy, at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more.
The Red Cross operates a national inventory system that allows blood to be moved from regions with excess supplies to those areas where it is most needed, and is also changing its policy on accepting donors who have lived in the U.K. because of concern about vCJD, the human form of mad cow disease. That change should increase the number of donors that are once again eligible to give blood. This new policy is not yet in effect—approval is first required by the Food and Drug Administration. Once the policy is enacted, tens of thousands more donors will be able to give blood.
Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. The Red Cross must collect blood donations each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients and children with blood disorders, and the organization works to accomplish this through its Blood Services regions. The American Red Cross collects more than 6 million units a year from volunteer donors, and provides almost half of the nation's blood supply to 3,000 hospitals through its national network of Blood Services regions. To donate blood, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.givelife.org for more information.
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