One in Four People Will Need a Blood Transfusion in Their Lifetime
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ahead of World Blood Donor Day on Wednesday, Kentucky Blood Center is urging all eligible individuals to save lives through donation. Those interested in giving blood can find more information about the process and make an appointment at kybloodcenter.org or by calling 800.775.2522.
“Thank you to our many local donors who selflessly help save lives and encourage more people to start their own donation journey,” said Mandy Brajuha, VP of external relations at KBC. “This is an important time for our blood supply as the need for blood is currently outpacing donations. World Blood Donor Day is a great reminder to our community that the need for blood is an everyday, constant need. We hope Kentuckians will consider making an appointment soon.”
Countries around the globe celebrate World Blood Donor Day annually to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors.
The consistent need for blood can be eye-opening (all numbers are according to America’s Blood Centers):
- One in four people will need blood in their lifetime.
- One in seven patients entering a hospital require blood to be available.
- Someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds.
- Worldwide, more than 120 million units of blood are needed each year
- 62% of the U.S. is eligible to donate blood, but only 3% does.
- 42,000 pints of blood are needed daily in the U.S.
- 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion every day.
- 25% of the blood supply is used by cancer patients.
- On average, pediatric patients use 1,800 units of blood daily
- Trauma patients can use 50 or more units of blood.
To provide a healthy supply of blood to its 70-plus hospitals in Kentucky, KBC needs 400 donors daily. The nonprofit has struggled to keep pace with need over the last few years because of the pandemic, and the traditionally difficult summer months have put a recent strain on the blood supply.
Kentucky Blood Center currently has a critical need (half-day supply) for donors with O-negative blood and an urgent need (one-day supply) for donors with A-negative and AB-negative blood types.
Celebrating 55 years of saving lives in Kentucky, KBC is the largest independent, full-service, nonprofit blood center in Kentucky. Licensed by the FDA, KBC’s sole purpose is to collect, process and distribute blood for patients in Kentucky. With nearly 2,000 mobile drives a year, KBC provides services in 90 Kentucky counties and has eight donor centers in Lexington, Louisville, Frankfort Pikeville, Somerset and the Corbin area. Blood collected at KBC saves the lives of patients in Kentucky who require products for surgeries, diseases like cancer, traumas, organ transplants, premature births and so much more.
Donor centers are open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mobile drives can be found at my.kybloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/county.
Donors must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health, show a photo I.D. and meet additional requirements. Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at kybloodcenter.org.
