Hospitals in Iowa and two neighboring states use 38,000 pints of blood every day, yet only about one-in-ten residents who are eligible to give blood do so once a year. The LifeServe Blood Center is appealing for blood donors this summer. While the region has a “stable” blood supply at the moment, spokeswoman Nicole Hanger says volunteers are still very much needed.
Hanger says, “During the summer months, our blood donations tend to decrease simply because people are busy with summer plans, traveling, various activities.” The process of donating blood takes about an hour and that one pint could help to save as many as three lives. Hanger says the lack of donors is a reason to worry about the summer’s blood supply. “The need for blood remains the same,” Hanger says. “We still need donors on a regular basis to maintain that stable blood supply for the community.”
Lifeserve provides blood and blood products to more than 100 hospitals in South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.
By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton