The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Fair visitors can help save lives one pint at a time
In between looking at animals and enjoying deepfried Oreos, Vitalant is asking Lorain County Fair visitors to help combat the ongoing blood shortage.
The blood bank has two bloodmobiles stationed near the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office substation on the fairgrounds and will be there until Aug. 25 seeking blood donations.
Sarah Wering, marketing and communications specialist for the blood bank, said that Vitalant, under its former name of Lifeshare, has held these blood drives at the County Fair for decades.
“We’re looking to collect between 500 and 600 units throughout the week,” Wering said. “Which sounds like a ton of blood, but that’s actually only a five-day supply for Northeast Ohio.
“So, we’re basically just bringing it in and pushing it back out to the hospitals at this rate.”
The blood bank seeks to bring in about the same amount of blood every year at the fair, Wering said.
Last year, more than 470 units were donated, she said.
Vitalant has blood banks nationwide and was the blood provider to hospitals following the recent mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Wering said.
The need for blood is very urgent across the nation right now, she said.
“You can’t find blood anywhere except in the arms of the donor,” Wering said. “The need is really quite urgent and to compound that, when you have a mass shooting or tragedy or some kind of mass blood need event, it takes 24-36 hours to put blood into the hospital.”
Wering explained the blood must go through multiple tests before it can be given to hospitals.
“The blood that is on the shelf today is what saves people in a tragedy,” Wering said. “If we don’t have enough blood on the shelf, that’s where the real problem is.”
She said the bank is seeking blood donors because with Labor Day weekend fast approaching, the need is expected to rise.
“We want to make sure we have the blood at the hospitals ready and waiting in case it’s needed,” Wering said.
Those who donate at the County Fair will have a choice of either a Vitalant T-shirt with a picture of a goat on the front or $20 Giant Eagle gift card.
Those who donate a double-red will receive both, Wering said.
People should be aware that they are likely able to donate blood six times a year, she said.
The current average donor donates about 1.7 times a year.
“If every one of our blood donors donated three times a year, shortages would cease,” Wering said. “It’s easy for us to overcome this constant urgent need messaging if we could get our blood donors to go from one donation to two, two donations to three, three donations to four.”