Donors battle summer blood shortage
Facts about blood needs
>> Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
>> More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
>> A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. (2006).
>> The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
>> The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
>> The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
>> Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of whom are African-American. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
>> More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
>> A single car crash victim can require as much as 100 pints of blood.
Source: American Red Cross (www.redcrossblood.org)
Supplying Rio Grande Valley hospitals with blood takes a little more creativity between June and August.
Students donate about 44 percent of the blood collected each year, said Dina Hoppenstedt, donor recruitment manager for United Blood Services, which handles donations across the Valley.
"When high schools aren’t in session, we’re really in trouble," Hoppenstedt said.
With schools closed and other regular donors often on vacation, blood supplies are stretched thin nationwide, she said. An uptick in elective surgeries and summer auto crashes increase demand, further contributing to the problem.
Drives sponsored by local businesses help pick up the slack, ensuring a steady supply of blood to the region’s hospitals and other medical centers supplied by United Blood Services.
Last weekend, Harley-Davidson dealerships in McAllen and San Benito hosted blood drives that collected about 400 pints. Chick-fil-A restaurants also sponsored a blood drive that brought in about 500 pints.
On Saturday, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers — the local NBA Development League team — sponsored a blood drive outside the basketball franchise’s Pro Shop on North 10th Street. Pepper’s at Uptown and Make Blue Happy, a local nonprofit, also sponsored the event, which drew 15 donors by 2 p.m.
In addition to saving lives, donating blood also provides donors with basic health information. Using United Blood Services’ website — www.unitedbloodservices.org — donors may view their blood type, blood pressure, heart rate, body-mass index and cholesterol levels online.
"It’s our wellness program," said Richard Piñon, a donor recruitment representative who helped register people on Saturday. Frequent donors may follow the information over time, potentially alerting them to health problems.
