What are the reason why the American Red Cross is seeing lower blood donation numbers?
American Red Cross feels the pinch during the holidays Author: Cynthia Jordan The American Red Cross is spreading the word this holiday season about the importance of blood donations. Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood, and this does not change throughout the holiday season. Every year, blood donations drop drastically between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. “There are many components that contribute to the decline in donations over the holidays,” said Dean Smith, coastal district manager of blood services for the Red Cross. Besides the obvious reasons for a poor turnout, such as traveling and holiday shopping, schools letting out and flu season seem to be the main factors. “The drop in the number of high school and college students really hits us hard, mainly because their contributions make up about 20 percent of donations,” Smith said. “As soon as school picks back up, we pick back up. It’s incredible how loyal some students are about giving blood.” Cold and
The holiday season may be a giving season, but that doesn’t hold true when it comes to blood donations. Anthony Tornetta, regional communications manager for the American Red Cross Penn-Jersey blood services region, said people busy with shopping or vacations, combined with the closing of area colleges and universities, lead to fewer blood drives. However, demand never wanes, according to Tornetta. “We can never have too much blood,” he said. “We can never be over-prepared. We’ve got to make sure hospitals are prepared when the person in the car accident arrives at the trauma center.” To help encourage blood donations, the American Red Cross (ARC) is offering a little incentive. Through Jan. 10, the donors at area mobile blood drives, blood donation centers and donation buses will have the opportunity to win a $75 Super Certificate redeemable at GiftCertificates.com. Sources:
American Red Cross feels the pinch during the holidays Author: Cynthia Jordan The American Red Cross is spreading the word this holiday season about the importance of blood donations. Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood, and this does not change throughout the holiday season. Every year, blood donations drop drastically between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. “There are many components that contribute to the decline in donations over the holidays,” said Dean Smith, coastal district manager of blood services for the Red Cross. Besides the obvious reasons for a poor turnout, such as traveling and holiday shopping, schools letting out and flu season seem to be the main factors. “The drop in the number of high school and college students really hits us hard, mainly because their contributions make up about 20 percent of donations,” Smith said. “As soon as school picks back up, we pick back up. It’s incredible how loyal some students are about giving blood.” Cold and
