Supplies typically dwindle when school’s out and families travel
Summer is a time for vacations, but the need for blood donations never takes a day off.
Donations tend to dip in summer because people are often traveling and because schools, sometimes used as collection locations, are closed. With the U.S. currently experiencing the most critical national blood shortage in its history, these dips become far more distressing. You can help to make sure blood supplies can meet demand.
Consider this: 350 units of blood are needed each day just in the 12-county area served by Miller-Keystone Blood Center. It is the only blood supplier to 33 hospitals in the region, including Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) hospitals. Nationally, 43,000 units of blood are needed each day.
Several LVHN hospitals are sites for upcoming Miller-Keystone mobile blood-donation events. They include:
Be sure to reserve your spot on Miller-Keystone's website at giveapint.org. You are most likely eligible to donate blood if you’re in good health, at least 16 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. If you were previously deferred from donating because of medication, travel or health reasons, consider trying again because donation criteria change from time to time and you may now be able to donate.
There are a variety of ways and locations to donate. Check out Miller-Keystone’s scheduling site for more information. You can search donation possibilities in a number of ways, including by zip code, county and sponsor name.
A wealth of information on blood donation is available at Miller-Keystone’s website:
