National Blood Supply Decreases in Summer Months
ELLEN LI
News Editor
Summer is a much anticipated season for many students because it is an extended period of break to have fun and relax. However, for the American Red Cross (ARC) blood program and other blood banks across the country, summer is a period of anxiety.
According to USA Today, blood donations are typically sluggish during the summer because schools that host blood drives are closed and people are away on vacations.
“The blood supply always takes a dip in the summer and during the holiday months as well because our high schools, the backbone of the blood supply, are out of school,” ARC Account Manager Nicole McAdam said. “We run blood drives at businesses [during the summer] but the donors are not in the office. The blood drives we hold during the summer are smaller blood drives. It’s very hard to replace our high schools in the summer.”
However, the ARC’s national blood supply has been hit especially hard this year; it is now at its lowest point in 15 years due to a combination of severe weather conditions across the country and a markedly slow summer of donations. In July, dozens of blood drives were cancelled because of storms, and extreme heat kept donors indoors as well.
“Every [blood] donation can save up to three lives, which is an incredible feeling,” former Red Cross President Joy Chen said. “In the summer, students and their relatives can visit a local organization to donate blood, or help host a blood drive at their church, workplace and etc.”
According to the ARC’s website, 80 percent of the blood donations given to Red Cross are collected at mobile drives set up at high schools, colleges, community organizations, companies, places of worship and military installations. The ARC provides approximately 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply. High schools are responsible for 30 percent of the blood supply.
During the school year, students can also help out by participating in the blood drives that the AHS Red Cross club annually hosts.
“Typically, these blood drives are pretty successful, and students help create a great turnout,” Chen said. “During the last blood drive with the Red Cross, our school collected 107 units of blood, which will help out a lot of people.”
The ARC serves over 160 hospitals in Southern California, and they aim to collect 1,100 units of blood products each day in order to meet hospital needs.
‘We can only complete our mission to help save lives when generous people give one hour’s time and their precious blood,” McAdam said. “Everybody can donate whole blood every 56 days, so if you time it right, you can donate six times a year!”