January is National Blood Donor Month, and although the Red Cross is no longer urgently calling for donations, there is always a need for blood.
“The need right now is that we are actually in a strong position,” said Garret Reid, the regional CEO for the American Red Cross. “We did not have a very heavy ice and winter storm season across the country.”
Reid added since North Carolina doesn’t typically get hit hard by winter weather, the state collects blood that can help locations and hospitals in need across the country.
This is a shift from the past two years — in 2021, the Red Cross faced its biggest blood shortage since 2015 after the pandemic delayed or discouraged people from giving blood.
One sign of improvement locally was the Carolina Blood Drive’s return to full operations in June of 2022.
Reid said although one in seven hospital patients receive a blood transfusion, only 3 percent of the country’s population donates blood.
“That’s a great thing we can think about as Tar Heels is that we’re able to support not only ourselves, but other parts of the country,” Reid said. “Right now we have seen really good collections in the month of December and into January, however we are still focused on two very specific unit types.”
Reid said the Red Cross is always seeking donations of the O blood type as well as blood from Black donors to meet sickle cell needs
It’s not enough to have a lot of blood — we need to have the right types of blood for patients in our hospitals,” Reid said.
In Chapel Hill, the Red Cross hosted blood drives on January 16th at the Hargraves Recreation Center and January 17 at UNC’s Student Union. There is another scheduled for Wednesday, January 18 at Orange United Methodist Church. To make an appointment to donate blood, click this link.
Reid added the Red Cross has regular fixed-site donations, which means there are many opportunities for people to give blood.
“As many of us are traveling across the state, we are collecting about 5,000 drives a year, so the odds of you being able to find something that is convenient and works for you and your schedule is a very high one,” Reid said.
Reid said the Red Cross makes it easy for first-time donors to give blood, and shared tips for anyone looking to donate.
“You don’t need to know your blood type,” Reid said. “We want you to come in and feel healthy and well, so no sniffles. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. Don’t skip meals. This is not a medical procedure in the traditional sense — make sure you’re eating your breakfast, eating your lunch — come on in and we’re going to have a full phlebotomy team that is elite and exceptional.”
Reid noted a few weeks after donation, people will be notified of their blood type and interesting facts about their blood, including if they are a rare match for a rare donor.
“We are screening their blood across a gamut of things — in a way, you’re getting a little mini health physical as well, which is great,” Reid said.
Reid said he encourages everyone to “roll up their sleeves” and make a New Year’s resolution to donate blood. He said the average donor can donate up to six times a year.
“Being able to start strong in the beginning of January as we begin to work with our hospitals for elective surgeries as well as any traumas that may occur during regular business hours and things of that nature — we want to make sure that we’re there to support that within our community,” Reid said.
To learn more about how to donate blood, visit the Red Cross website.
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