“We’re really begging for help at this point”, Blood Supply Crisis Hits Valley

It’s a nationwide crisis, that hits home in the Red River Valley.
 
Blood donation centers are drying up.

And they need you to help replenish the supply.
 
Summer is the time when blood centers and hospitals need donors the most.

But donation centers are sitting nearly empty.
 
Four people are spending their afternoon donating at United Blood Services, including Andrew Osenga, who’s donating platelets.
 
He reasons, “I’m able to, so…”
 
But a lot of people who can donate aren’t making their way here.
 
“It is a big concern at this point,” says Jennifer Bredahl, Donor Recruitment Director for United Blood Services.
 
America’s Blood Centers and the American Red Cross are issuing a critical appeal for blood and platelet donations.

If the supply dries up, hospital patients could suffer.
 
“They may not get the transfusion,” says Bredahl. “They’ll decide who need it the most in a hospital situation.”
 
Donors stepped up to the plate earlier this summer, after the shooting at an Orlando nightclub killed 49 people.

But that generosity came at a price.
 
“We’ve been coming up short a little bit. I think a lot of people responded to the Orlando incident and we saw a lot of our donors that would have come in this month than last month,” explains Bredahl.
 
Summer is the hardest time to get people in the donation chair.
 
Bredahl adds, “A lot of people are doing their own thing with their family vacations and are not in their normal routine.”
 
Even if the chair is pretty comfy.
 
Osenga is sitting pretty. He adds, “Yeah I got tons of blankets on me. Trying to keep me warm today.”
 
Despite the needles, giving blood is a relatively painless process.

It only takes 45 minutes to an hour. And if you’re a poor planner, you don’t even need to make an appointment. You can just walk on in.
 
“Anything we can get right now, we’ll take it,” Bredahl says. “We’re really begging for help at this point.”
 
You can give a gift to save a life.

And get a little present for yourself.
 
“It feels great,” adds Osenga. “It feels really good to just come here and help out.”
 
United Blood Services is looking for any donors, but specifically ones with A-, B-, O- and O+ blood types.