Holiday boosts call for blood donations
Arizona blood donations are expected to be in high demand as the long holiday weekend continues, said Sue Thew, spokesperson for Vitalant, formerly known as United Blood Services.
Thew said that fewer people donate during the summer because of a lack of school-sponsored blood drives, but Independence Day also is the lowest time of the year for donations because people take extended vacations.
However, the holiday weekend also has “the highest potential for accidents and blood usage due to heavy traffic on the roads and highways,” Thew said.
To help rebuild the blood supplies, Vitalant is organizing the “Saving Arizona Blood Drive” this Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tempe Center for the Arts, located south of Loop 202 near Priest Road in Tempe.
Hospital demand for blood is expected to outpace donations by nearly 45% this week – or about 2,000 donors, according to Thew.
“Patients in 62 Arizona hospitals are depending upon blood donors to provide about 4,200 blood donations this week,” Thew said.
Thew said that after blood is donated, it takes 24 to 36 hours to test and process blood. Because of that time delay, she said, “you can’t wait for an emergency to donate blood.”
“We need to make sure at all times that we have an ample blood supply on the shelves,” Thew said.
Though Vitalant has a daily demand of 600 donors and all blood types are needed, Thew said that O-type blood has the highest demand because of its universality. O-negative blood can be given to anyone, regardless of their blood type, so doctors don’t have to waste time typing blood if they have it on hand, Thew said.
O-positive blood, though not quite as universal, can be given to anyone with a positive blood type – or more than 80% of patients. Because of this, O-positive blood “can be substituted for all positive blood types when shortages arise.”
Thew said one person’s donation can save up to three lives. The blood is separated into three parts: red blood cells, which are given to trauma patients who have lost a lot of blood; plasma, which treats internal bleeding because it helps with clotting; and platelets, which help cancer and leukemia patients regain platelets lost in chemotherapy treatments.
Thew said donating blood is personal to her – after her mother fell and suffered a head injury, four plasma donations saved her mother’s life.
“I can speak as a family member to know that that blood was available to help your loved one, there’s no substitute for that,” Thew said.
“It can make the difference of a lifetime for somebody in need,” Thew added.
Vitalant is extending their hours to hopefully draw in more donors – all six Arizona centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Appointments can be made at bloodhero.com.
On Friday, Thew said that about half of the more than 600 appointments for the Saving Arizona Blood Drive on Sunday remain unfilled. The first 500 donors receive a voucher for two free DBacks tickets, courtesy of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and one donor will be drawn as one of 10 finalists for a 2019 Volkswagen Passat Wolfsburg Edition, according to Vitalant.
People wishing to donate can make an appointment at www.vitalant.org/ SaveAZ or call 877-25-VITAL (877-2584825).