A call has been made for more blood donors.
January is National Blood Donor Month. It's also a time when there is a steep need for blood.
Community Blood Center spokesperson Rachel Sonnentag says the designation gives them a chance to celebrate all the blood donors and their commitment to supporting patients in need.
"...Blood donation is incredibly important. Less than 10 percent of Americans donate blood, but the need is great. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood, which means about 35,000 blood donations are needed everyday just to support the need...."
Sonnentag says to donate takes about an hour and after it's done, there's food and refreshments. The actual donation takes about 15 minutes. All blood types are needed...
"All blood types are needed on a regular basis. O negative is what's called the universal donor which means anybody can accept O negative blood. So O negative blood is always in need. But right now all blood types are needed an welcomed...."
Many of the area hospitals get their blood from the Community Blood Center.
The first hospital blood bank in the United States at Cook County Hospital in Chicago in 1937. Brookhaven National Laboratory says that people who begin donating blood at age 17 and donate every eight weeks will have donated 48 gallons of blood by age 76.
More information is at communityblood.org or 800-280-4102
