I donated a unit of blood this morning. Check out the facts and links below about blood donation, and please consider donating as well.
To support the 4.5 million+ people who need blood every year in the U.S., including accident/trauma victims, surgery patients, cancer patients, and many more, the Red Cross needs to collect millions of units of blood. An estimated 43,000 pints of blood are used every day in the United States and Canada. Currently, only about 10 percent of eligible donors give blood annually. The Red Cross estimates that if one percent more of the U.S. population gave blood every year, blood shortages would disappear for the foreseeable future.
If you're 17 and older (or 16 with parental consent), you can donate blood as often as 6 times a year. The entire 4-step process takes about an hour: a few minutes to register and wait for your turn to donate, a short physical and questionnaire to determine eligibility, the blood donation process (about ten minutes long), and 10 to 15 minutes for recovery, while drinking juice and eating cookies.
Check out the overview of the donation process, eligibility requirements, and enter your zipcode here to find donation centers and blood drives near you.
