By Staff
Unfortunately accidents and scheduled operations don't take a holiday during the summer months. The need for blood continues every month and in fact goes up during the summer.
Many regular donors are on vacation and don't return to donate until fall. With area college students also on break and back at their hometowns, the high school and college blood donor days also are put off until September.
According to the American Red Cross, "from January through May of this year, more than 25 percent of donors in Michigan were 17 to 24 years old, and helped supply nearly 30 percent of the blood available to hospital patients."
The Red Cross has seen a "summer slump in donations-about 10 to 15 percent on any given day." This drop off has caused emergency levels of several critical types.
Current supplies of Type O-negative – "the universal donor" – amount to just a half day on the shelves. Type O-positive is also scarce, rarely inching above a day's supply for patients in 129 Michigan hospitals.
A three to five day is what the Red Cross likes to see, but a five- to seven-day supply is even better.
If you have never given before, think about it. It doesn't take very long, is relatively painless and you usually get juice and cookies afterwards.
Blood donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good general health.
For information on an American Red Cross blood drive near you, call 1-800-GIVE LIFE.
For a complete listing of Berrien County Chapter of the American Red Cross blood drives visit www.berrienredcross.org. For Michigan Community Blood Center blood drives visit www.miblood.org.