There is usually a decline in blood donation drives during the winter months. January has been dubbed National Blood Donor Month.
“We do have several blood drives scheduled throughout the area in the month of January, and we’ve done that for a reason,” said Dan Fox, media representative for the Red Cross. “Typically, we see donations decline in the winter months, and we want to give blood donors as many opportunities as possible to give the gift of life to make sure the supply remains stable.”
The Red Cross needs to collect about 800 blood products every day to keep up with the demand of the regional hospitals because every 2 seconds someone needs blood, Fox said.
All blood types are needed, especially O-negative, which is considered the universal blood type because it can be given to any patient regardless of their blood type.
In Colorado, the American Red Cross has teamed up with Bonfils to run blood donation drives. Check out Bonfils website here to find a time and location to donate blood.