Every day, hospitals across South Texas rely on hundreds of units of donated blood to treat trauma victims, cancer patients and others facing medical emergencies.
Many people assume blood will be available when a medical emergency happens, but blood banks like South Texas Blood & Tissue must maintain supply long before those moments occur.
“So blood is one of the few things that you can't jump on Amazon and purchase,” Joby Stortz, with the South Texas Blood & Tissue, said. “If you've ever had a loved one who's received a biotherapy, whether it's for cancer or loved one needing blood from complications in pregnancy or trauma or an event… that blood was put there by a stranger before something ever happened.”
But as summer approaches, many of the blood drives that help supply that lifesaving resource begin to disappear. Schools close, families travel and routines change, reducing the number of available blood donors while the need for blood in hospitals remains constant.
According to South Texas Blood & Tissue, hospitals across the 49 counties the organization serves require roughly 600 units of blood each day to meet patient needs.
The organization is already working months in advance to secure enough blood drives to meet projected demand.
Based on hospital forecasts, South Texas Blood & Tissue still needs about eight additional blood drives for April, around 10 for May, at least 15 for June and more than 20 drives each for July and August.
“Getting to a blood drive or coming to one of our facilities to donate blood is pretty comparable to going to the dentist,” Stortz said. “People have a fear of it. People know that they should. They want to. They drive by and they think, ‘Oh gosh, I need to do that.’ But life happens, and it gets put off.”
While many people think about donating blood, Stortz said another challenge often goes unnoticed. Donors need places to give.
“There's always a conversation about the need for blood donors, but I think it's easily overlooked that the donors don't have a place to go if we don't have a sponsor or a host or even a community event that we're tied into,” Stortz said.
That is why they are asking local businesses, churches, civic groups and community organizations to consider hosting blood drives in the months ahead.
People assume hosting a blood drive requires large crowds, but Stortz said even small events can make a meaningful impact.
“A normal blood drive, typically, we're looking for somewhere around about 10 people to show up,” Stortz said. “I know that sounds incredibly low. A lot of people always assume blood drives have maybe 25, 30, 40 people show up. That'd be a very large blood drive.”
Businesses or organizations interested in hosting can provide a building space or simply a parking lot for a mobile donation unit. South Texas Blood & Tissue provides staff, equipment and support to help organize the event.
“Every single event is different,” Stortz said. “I don't want people to disqualify themselves thinking, Oh, we're a small business, or this event's not very large, so it probably wouldn't be a good fit.”
Organizations interested in hosting a blood drive can visit SouthTexasBlood. org or contact Stortz directly at 361-6481236 for more information.
Even small drives, he said, can help ensure hospitals have the blood they need before a crisis occurs.
