Blood Connection in need of donors

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - It’s the season of giving and one local community blood center is encouraging people to give the gift of blood.

This is a time of year when they say blood donations are usually low.

The Senior Director of Donor Resources for the Blood Connection says the blood supply is always fragile and the need is constant.

Places like the Blood Connection are responsible for keeping the blood supply stable, but it’s impossible to do this without donors or organizations being willing to host blood drives.

The Blood Connection, which is an independently managed, non-profit community blood center, is now a blood provider for Memorial Health’s patients.

Memorial Health is added to the list of more than 100 hospitals in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina that the Blood Connection is the primary blood provider for.

To make sure the hospitals’ needs for blood are uninterrupted, people in the community have to donate.

Folks with The Blood Connection say during the holiday season the need for blood tends to increase, but the supply decreases.

They say this is because people are busy visiting with family and traveling, so donating blood isn’t usually top of mind.

“We do see a drop in donations, however surgeries are still scheduled and unfortunately this time of year sometimes the weather can be up in the air and there tends to be more accidents and trauma so that need of blood is high. There are so many gifts that people give in this holiday time and there’s no greater gift than saving a life,” said Amanda Farrell, Senior Director of Donor Resources for the Blood Connection.

Farrell says the whole process from start to finish takes less than an hour and in doing so you’re saving up to three lives.

Folks with the Blood Connection say during the holiday season the need for blood tends to increase, but the supply decreases. They say this is because people are busy visiting with family and traveling, so donating blood isn’t usually top of mind.

“We do see a drop in donations, however surgeries are still scheduled and unfortunately this time of year sometimes the weather can be up in the air and there tends to be more accidents and trauma so that need of blood is high. There are so many gifts that people give in this holiday time and there’s no greater gift than saving a life.”

If you’re interested in donating blood, the Blood Connection and Memorial Health are hosting a blood drive Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Memorial Health University Medical Center. To make an appointment, head to their website.

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