The American Red Cross is facing a summer blood shortage.
Mason County Red Cross Community Volunteer Leader Rebecca Cartmell said it is common to have a blood shortage in the summer months, but the need for blood does not change.
“Historically, blood supplies are low in the summer because of school being out,” she said. “School and college — that’s a big drive for us. We still need blood, though, and it makes it extra important for people to take the time to donate.”
According to Cartmell, there is a blood drive scheduled for Aug. 13 at the Church of the Nativity, located at 31 East Third Street in Maysville. The blood drive will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“The event is open to the public,” she said. “You can make an appointment, but you don’t have to do so.”
According to Cartmell, in order to donate, donors must be in good health and generally feeling well, weigh at least 110 pounds and have a photo identification.
Cartmell said the blood is needed to help save lives.
“Every pint can save up to three lives,” she said. “It can be separated into plasma, blood cells or used as whole blood. It’s used for accident victims, blood cancers, blood diseases, surgery patients and for blood transfusions for anyone who needs it.”
According to redcrossblood.org, once the blood is collected, it is taken to a processing center, where information about the donation is scanned into a system. Whole blood donations are separated into transferable components, such as red cells, platelets and plasma, tests are preformed to establish blood types and test for diseases.
If a person tests positive for a disease, the donation will be discarded and the patient will be notified, according to the website.
Blood is available to be shipped to hospitals 24 hours a day and some hospitals will keep blood units on shelves, but may call for more in emergency situations.
The blood is not only used for the area in which it is collected, according to Cartmell.
“The blood is used wherever it is needed,” she said. “About 41 percent of US blood comes from the Red Cross. We assist people in emergency situations, help them prepare, and hopefully prevent tragedies and recover from emergencies. Collecting blood is one part of what we do.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about donating to the Red Cross can visit redcrossblood.org.
