Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood.
With a blood shortage underway, the Central Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross is trying to get people to donate blood more than once each year.
“Type O traditionally is the type that is most needed as it is the universal blood type, but all blood types recently had emergency levels,” said Rodney Wilson, communications manager for the Central Ohio Blood Services Region. “It has been the lowest we have seen in many years and we are in the process of rebuilding that supply now.”
Colleges and high schools sponsor about 19 percent of Red Cross blood drives in its coverage area of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
These students, who range from 16 to 25 years in age, give about 30 percent of blood collected by the Red Cross in these three states.
Students are a major building force in the Red Cross’ blood supply, said Lori Gaitten, senior donor recruitment representative for the Central Ohio Blood Services Region.
“OU students contribute anywhere from one-quarter to half of the blood we collect in Athens County,” Gaitten said.
The Red Cross is “absolutely dependent” on college students to donate blood, Wilson said.
“We wouldn’t be able to fulfill our requests from hospitals if we didn’t have the number of students donating blood who currently do,” Wilson added.
Both Wilson and Gaitten said that recruiting for blood drives is difficult.
“In setting up a blood drive, you can’t just expect people to show up,” Wilson said. “It takes educating about why it is needed and where the blood goes.”
Gaitten, who educates people on blood drives by giving presentations, said that the reason people don’t donate is because they don’t know how important it is for them to do it.
In an attempt to get more people to donate blood, the Central Ohio Blood Services Region has given OU students incentives to donate, such as Cedar Point tickets, Gaitten said.
“Unfortunately, these incentives are more common then they used to be,” Wilson said. “I don’t know that they are necessary, but we try to give them at times it will be most difficult to collect blood.”
The Central Ohio Blood Services Region has blood drives almost every other day at high schools or colleges, Wilson added.
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