SAN ANTONIO – June 14, 2021, marks World Blood Donor Day and the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is inviting the community to donate blood.
“Our blood situation has been critical for some time. It’s been very difficult for us to host blood drives, as we’ve used to do with high schools and universities being closed for on-campus settings over the course of the pandemic. That’s really affected blood donation,” said Adrienne Mendoza, vice president of blood operations at the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center.
The “World Blood Donor Day” is a day to raise awareness about giving blood and to thank donors for their lifesaving gift.
The day carries a deeper meaning for the blood bank, as patients’ need for blood outpaces donations.
“We’re at about 1.5 days, so 1 1/2 day supply of blood and we like to be at least three days of supply,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza said there are many reasons why blood demand is up.
“We’ve seen as much as a 20% increase in the need for blood because people are going back into the hospital after having delayed surgeries and also our community has grown over this last year,” Mendoza said.
While blood donations help patients going through treatments and those involved in accidents, Mendoza said it’s critical during tragedies like the one that happened in Austin this weekend.
“We had the mass shooting over the weekend in Austin that really concerned us because we are so critical and really not able to effectively meet the needs of the community right now,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza said she hopes people come out and donate.
“You may not know the person who receives the blood you give, but you know you’re making an impact and you’re giving back to the community and helping someone who truly does need it,” Mendoza said.
To learn about different locations of where to donate blood, click here.
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Blood donations, especially types O negative and positive, are still urgently needed