Urge all eligible individuals to donate blood
Washington, DC – More than 100 prominent organizations from around the country have joined forces to thank America’s blood donors on World Blood Donor Day on Friday, June 13th. World Blood Donor Day is a global event to raise awareness of the importance of donating blood and to thank blood donors. These organizations are working together during Blood Advocacy Week, an initiative led by America’s Blood Centers (ABC) to advocate for policies that highlight the importance of blood for patients, communities, and the healthcare system.
“America’s Blood Centers is honored to lead a coalition of more than 100 organizations this World Blood Donor Day in recognizing the roughly 8 million Americans who selflessly donate blood annually,” said Kate Fry, CEO of America’s Blood Centers. “Every two seconds in America, a patient’s life depends on the generosity of volunteer donors. We encourage all eligible individuals to join the ranks of America’s blood donors by contacting their local community blood center and making a plan to donate today,”
The slogan of this year’s World Blood Donor Day is, “Give blood, give hope: together we save lives,” highlighting the life-changing impact blood donors have on those in need. It celebrates the power of community and solidarity in saving lives through the simple act of giving blood. To learn more, click here.
Blood cannot be manufactured; it can only come from volunteer blood donors. Although a blood transfusion is needed every 2 seconds in America, less than 3% of all Americans donate blood despite 62% of the population being eligible to do so. To learn more about America’s blood supply and its donors, download the U.S. Blood Donation Statistics and Public Messaging Guide here.
More than 42,000 units of red blood cells, platelets, and plasma are used by patients every day. These blood transfusions are needed to treat patients with acute care needs such as trauma and blood loss during childbirth, as well as for disease management for patients with a variety of health conditions, including cancer, inherited blood disorders, cardiovascular and orthopedic surgeries, and organ and bone marrow transplants.
Partners taking part in Blood Advocacy Week include the American Society of Hematology, American Society for Clinical Pathology, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, American Trauma Society, BorderRAC, Centerlink, Cerus, Civil Air Patrol, the Crescent Foundation, Colorado Whole Blood Coalition, Delcon, Elks, FCI Brands, GLAAD, GoodLabs, Human Rights Campaign, HOSA Future Health Professionals, Incept Health, International Trauma Life Support, Johnson and Johnson, La Boit Specialty Vehicles Inc., LifeFactors, LifeFlow, Macopharma, National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, North Arundel County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Operation Pulse Lift, Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency International Alliance, SaveLivez, Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota, Sick Cells, South Texas Regional Advisory Council, Thalassemia International Federation, Terumo Blood and Cell Technlologies, The Institute for Health Research & Policy at Whitman-Walker, Trauma Survivors Network, University Blood Initiative and University Hospital EMS in Newark, New Jersey.
These organizations are joined by community blood centers and blood organizations across the country, including ADRP: The Association for Blood Donor Professionals, Alliance for Community Transfusion Services (ACTS), Blood Assurance, Blood Bank of Alaska, Blood Bank of Delmarva, Blood Bank of Hawaii, Blood Centers of America, Bloodworks Northwest, Carter BloodCare, Central California Blood Center, Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Coastal Bend Blood Center, Community Blood Bank, Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania & Western New York, Community Blood Center, Community Blood Center (Appleton), Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, Connecticut Blood Center, ConnectLife, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Héma-Québec, Houchin Community Blood Bank, Hoxworth Blood Center, ImpactLife, Inova Blood Donor Services, Kentucky Blood Center, LIFELINE Blood Services, LifeServe Blood Center, LifeShare Blood Center, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, LifeStream, MEDIC Regional Blood Center, Memorial Blood Centers, Miller-Keystone Blood Center, Mississippi Blood Services, National Blood Testing Cooperative, Nebraska Community Blood Bank, New Jersey Blood Services, New York Blood Center, Northern California Community Blood Bank, OneBlood, Our Blood Institute, Rhode Island Blood Center, Rock River Valley Blood Center, San Diego Blood Bank, Shepeard Community Blood Center, South Texas Blood & Tissue, Stanford Blood Center, SunCoast Blood Centers, Texoma Regional Blood Center, The Blood Center (New Orleans), The Blood Connection, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UCI Health Blood Donor Center, Versiti, Vitalant, We Are Blood, and Western Kentucky Regional Blood Center.
Sponsors of this week include Abbott, Cerus, Fresenius Kabi, Grifols, Healthcare-ID, Hemanext, Macopharma, Roche, and Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies.
Founded in 1962, America’s Blood Centers is the national organization bringing together community-based, independent blood centers. Its member organizations operate more than 600 blood collection sites providing close to 60 percent of the U.S., and a quarter of the Canadian, blood supply. These blood centers serve more than 150 million people and provide blood products and services to more than 3,500 hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America. All ABC U.S. members are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.AmericasBlood.org.
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