Blood donations needed for local hospitals
The summer months are challenging for blood centers nationwide and Florida’s Blood Centers is no exception. All blood types are needed immediately. Donations drop significantly during the summer when families go on vacation, snowbirds remain north and when most high school and college students are out of class.
With a higher than usual travel activity especially by car — our community needs a reliable blood supply to meet demand in case of accidents or emergencies. Every day elective surgeries require blood transfusions, along with cancer patients who depend on life-saving platelet transfusions.
That’s why Florida’s Blood Centers, our community’s local blood bank, is appealing to the public for donations as soon as possible.
People are urged to donate at any branch location or on the Big Red Bus near them by going to www.floridasbloodcenters.org and checking for locations. The website contains information about donating blood and stories of those whose lives have been saved by blood donors.
All blood donations help save the lives of trauma patients, premature babies, cancer patients and people needing surgery. Every donation benefits someone in our community. Anyone who is eligible to donate is encouraged to call 1-888-9DONATE for questions about donating blood. Donors should be at least 16 years old and weigh at least 102 pounds. There is no upper age limit. Check eligibility questions at www.floridasbloodcenters.org
Did you know? Florida’s Blood Centers:
– Provides blood to 70 hospitals through the state.
– Is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make sure our blood meets the highest standards.
– Maintains state-of-the-art testing equipment and donor facilities to make sure our donors and recipients have a safe and healthy experience.
– Provides over 350,000 mini-physicals and health screenings for donors each year.
– Is ready and waiting when you need us most.