Attention donors! Arizona’s largest blood drive kicks off Sunday
Jan 5, 2019, 4:32 AM
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
PHOENIX — During the holidays, donating blood is often put on the back burner with so many other events and plans to attend.
Now, Vitalant is looking to replenish the supply on Sunday.
From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Vitalant will be hosting Arizona’s largest blood drive.
“We’re looking for 600 blood donors to come out to the Saving Arizona Blood Drive. It’s a real crucial time for blood supplies,” Sue Thew, public relations official for Vitalant told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
“We’ve just come off the most difficult 10 days of the year to maintain our state’s blood supply. Between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, blood donations plummeted by about 23 percent, while since Dec. 1 blood usage has been about eight percent above normal.”
And while the blood supply has dropped, the new year brings with it more blood transfusions and surgeries.
“Lots of people will postpone non-emergency surgeries until after the holidays, which means that right at Jan. 2, surgical schedules become very full at the hospitals,” Thew said. “And just because something isn’t an emergency surgery, it doesn’t mean it’s not important.”
All blood types are encouraged to take part in the blood drive, with a few that are especially important to helping keep the blood supply where its needed.
“With a daily need of 500 blood donors to meet the needs of the 62 Arizona hospitals, we obviously need donors of all blood types,” Thew said. “But we’re seeing the greatest need right now for types O+ and O-. Those are universal blood types that can be substituted for other blood types in times of emergencies or shortages.
“So right now we’re hovering around a one-day supply of O+ and O- when really we need to be at a three-day blood supply.”
For your time, and blood, the drive is offering a free ticket to the Waste Management Phoenix Open as well as free pizza.
In addition, people can register to be bone marrow donors.
