The holidays are a tough time of year for blood banks.
Each year they find themselves fighting against cold weather, illness, school closures and travel plans that affect blood donations, officials said.
So, as usual, blood banks serving the Inland Empire and Southern California — including the American Red Cross, LifeStream Blood Bank and the San Diego Blood Bank that includes southwest Riverside County — are encouraging people to donate to help those in need and avoid a significant drop in supply.
“December is a challenging time with our regular donors who have plans for the holidays,” said Christine Welch, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross Southern California Region. “But blood is perishable and has a shelf life, so we need to replenish it.”
The American Red Cross opened a donation center last year at 6235 River Crest Drive, Suite A., in Riverside.
The national blood bank needs about 12,500 blood and nearly 3,000 platelet donations to meet the needs of patients at around 2,500 hospitals and other facilities nationwide, Welch said. Those needing blood include accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients and cancer patients, she said. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.
Types O positive, O negative and B negative blood donors are especially needed, Welch said. Type O blood, which depending on the type can be universal, is most needed by hospitals but often in short supply.
At the American Red Cross, donors will receive a long-sleeve shirt while supplies last. As a special thank you to those who give during the critical post-holiday time, donors between Thursday, Jan. 1, and Sunday, Jan. 25, will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area.
A list of ways to donate, and upcoming local blood drives, is available by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visiting redcrossblood.org.
At the LifeStream Blood Bank — which has 10 donor centers across the Inland Empire, the High Desert and Orange County, and runs hundreds of mobile blood drives — officials are also seeing an overall “downward trend” in collections over the past five years.
“Overall, we are nearly 10,000 donations behind where we were in 2020,” spokesperson Michael Shepherd said. “When one donation of blood can save three lives, that shortfall translates to 30,000 patients. That number may not mean much to some — but, if you have a family member, friend or loved one awaiting a transfusion necessary for surgery, having sufficient quantities of blood for the medical team can mean life or death, depending on the procedure required.”
The blood bank is in “critical” need of donors with O-negative, A negative, and B-negative blood, which as of Tuesday, Dec. 23 were sitting at less than three days worth of supply on hand, Shepherd said.
“Ideally, we want to be somewhere between three and eight days.”
With people caught up in holiday plans and amid the hustle and bustle, Shepherd said, donating blood “isn’t necessarily top of mind.”
So the blood bank has several campaigns, promotions and giveaways and an exclusive donor store to reward those who give.
A new “Red Zone” promotion will give donors the equivalent of a $70 gift card in points for donating platelets. The clotting agents in platelets are a “highly valued” donation in the operating room, especially in care for cancer patients, Shepherd said.
To make an appointment to donate at a center, or for a list of upcoming mobile drives, call 800-879-4484 or visit LifeStream’s website, lstream.org.
Claudine Van Gonka, a spokesperson from the San Diego Blood Bank, said that the colder winter months bring about a “significant drop in donations” due to schools being on hiatus and not hosting regular blood drives, as well as seasonal illnesses, holiday travel and general busyness.
The blood bank hosts blood drives in southwest Riverside County and throughout the San Diego area. It welcomes walk-ins.
Van Gonka said that it needs more than 350 units of blood each day for patients battling life-threatening blood disorders and cancers, suffering from traumas such as burns or serious accidents, or childbirth complications.
All blood types are needed, especially O negative, O positive, B negative and A negative.
Van Gonka also encouraged people to donate over the holiday weekends. The blood bank’s website, www.sandiegobloodbank.org, includes a list of donor centers to schedule an appointment. Those interested also can call 619-400-8251 or email [email protected].
