slideshow

Kelli Easterling

Richmond County Daily Journal

With the rise in summer travel also comes an upswing in road accidents.

Officials with the American Red Cross say it is unfortunate that those increases are not accompanied by a rise in blood donations.

“When there are more people on the road, and more accidents, it means that there’s just one more reason that the American Red Cross needs blood during the summer months,” said Kara Lusky Dudley, communications manager for the Carolinas Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross.

Dudley added that meeting the needs of those who need blood this summer may be a difficult for the organization.

The American Red Cross released a statement saying that the group has an “emergency need for blood and platelet donors of all blood types.”

In June, blood donations were down more than 10 percent across the country, with 50,000 fewer donations than expected.

“We do usually get less donations in the summer because schools and colleges are closed, and they account for 20 percent of our donations,” said Lusky Dudley. “But the drop has come much sooner than usual, and we are running very low. I know people are busy with vacations and travel, but I don’t really have a clear answer as to why we’ve seen such a drastic decline this year.”

According to the CEO of the American Red Cross Carolinas Blood Services Region, Delisa English, the Red Cross must collect more than 17,000 pints of blood each day. The Carolinas Blood Services Region needs 1,600 pints of that each day.

This need is constant, because every two seconds someone in the U.S. is in need of a blood transfusion.

“We need donors to make appointments in the coming days and weeks to help us ensure that all patient blood needs can be met,” said English.

“Just one unit of blood can save up to three lives,” said Pam Park, Richmond County coordinator for the Red Cross. “In addition to the blood donors, we could also really use volunteers to hand out juice and sign people in at the drives. Blood donations and volunteers are crucial.”

Upcoming blood drives in Richmond County

- Monday, July 16 at Hamlet Masonic Lodge, from 3-7 p.m.

307 Main Street, Hamlet

- Thursday, July 19 at Jefferson Park Freewill Baptist Church, from 3-7 p.m.

308 Forrest Street, Rockingham

- Saturday, August 4 at Cordova united Methodist Church, from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

130 S. Ledbetter Street, Rockingham

To make an appointment for a blood drive, or for more information, call 1-800-733-2767. A blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of I.D. are required at check-in.

Staff Writer Kelli Easterling can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at keasterling@heartlandpublications.com.