LifeSouth asks donors to end summer shortage of blood

(CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Summer 2014 isn’t different from past years. Blood supplies are in short supply.

LifeSouth Community Blood Centers already have seen a drop in donations and could face serious shortages if additional donors don’t step forward.

“Shortages are something we battle every summer. We’re already facing a shortage of O-negative blood that’s so important for emergencies,” LifeSouth Vice President of Operations J.B. Bowles said.

Bowles encourages people who donate occasionally to respond now during the shortage. “For those who have never donated, now is the time to try,” Bowles said.

Few people donate regularly — about five percent of Americans.

“While donations have already started to drop, July 7 could be when supplies go from bad to worse. That’s the first Monday after the Fourth of July holiday weekend,” he said.

Supplies drop at this time because people are taking vacations but, at the same, holiday accidents occur. In addition, some individuals have postponed scheduled surgeries until after the Fourth of July holiday.

Donors must be at least 17 years old. Sixteen-year-olds can donate if they have parental permission, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and are in good health. A photo ID is also required.

“Each year, nearly 5 million Americans need a blood transfusion,” Tamara Watts said. Watts is LifeSouth’s North Alabama Community Development Coordinator. “To meet our responsibility, we need to collect 266,000 blood donations a year. That’s 728 donors a day.”

LifeSouth’s address in Madison is 8190 Madison Blvd. Hours are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To locate a nearby blood drive, call LifeSouth toll-free at 888-795-2707 or visit lifesouth.org.