Local blood bank urges donations as holiday season approaches
Lifesaving transfusions don’t stop for the holidays
Lifesaving transfusions don’t stop for the holidays– This November, nonprofit blood services provider Vitalant is urging all eligible donors to schedule a blood donation to help ensure all patients have blood available to them in their time of need.
Fewer people donate during the Thanksgiving and winter holiday weeks than any other time of year, but every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, according to the blood bank. And sometimes, it requires many donors to help just one patient. Recently, a 35-year-old man needed 14 lifesaving blood units at a Vitalant-supported hospital as part of his treatment for Sepsis: two red cell, five platelet, and seven plasma.
Blood donors with all blood types, especially type O, and platelet donors are critically needed. Type O is the most in-demand blood type and type O-negative is what emergency room physicians reach for because it can be transfused when there’s not time to determine a patient’s blood type. Platelets must be used within a week of transfusion and are critical to stop bleeding.
All donors who give Nov. 22-28 will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card redeemable by email as a small token of thanks for helping others during an especially busy time of year. Learn more at vitalant.org/ThanksgivingGift.
To check eligibility and make an appointment visit vitalant.org download and use the Vitalant app or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). There is no waiting period to donate after receiving an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine or seasonal flu shot.
Upcoming Blood Drives in the San Luis Obispo County:
- Tuesday, Nov. 1, San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Tenaya Residence Hall, 2 – 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 3, San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Canyon Village, 2 – 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 3, Cambria, Cambria Pine Lodge, 2905 Burton Drive, 12 – 5 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 9, Templeton, Corner of 5th and Crocker, 2 – 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 10, Nipomo, Trilogy Central Coast, 1645 Trilogy Parkway, 12:30 – 6 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 13, Arroyo Grande, St. Patrick’s Church, 501 Fair Oaks Avenue, 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 15, San Luis Obispo, Pacific Beach High School, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 18, Atascadero, Elks Lodge, 1516 El Camino Real, 1 – 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 30, Paso Robles, Liberty High School, 810 Niblick Road, 1 – 5 p.m.
Donors are encouraged to find a community blood drive near them or give at any one of the four donation centers along the Central Coast, including one in San Luis Obispo at 4119 Broad Street.
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