Summer Time Blood Donations Urgently Needed in Texarkana

LifeShare Blood Center is calling all blood donors to make giving blood a part of their summer plans. The need for blood donations is critical during the summer, particularly in July, when there is a historically higher demand for blood products.

In a recent study by the Pew Research Center revealed that July 4th and 5th are the busiest days for U.S. hospital emergency rooms. Nearly 10,000 more patients than in any other two-day period. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, this increase is because of injuries from fireworks, with about one-third of these injuries being burns.

Dr. Tim Peterson, Medical Director for LifeShare Blood Center, said in a press release,

Burn patients use lots of blood products over long periods of time, especially red blood cells and plasma, due to the loss of red cells and clotting factors with these types of wounds. Plasma and red blood cells are needed to maintain an adequate oxygen supply by the patient as they recover.

A single donation can help up to three people, because most whole blood donations are separated into red cells, platelets, and plasma.

Red blood cells are only useful for about 42 days and platelets only useful for up to 7 days. Donations need to come in every day to meet the needs of the community.

To help with this decrease in blood donors during the summer, LifeShare hosts the annual United We Give campaign. This year, United We Give runs from Monday, July, 1 through Friday, July, 5.

Every donor will receive a $10 gift card for lunch and a limited-edition t-shirt. LifeShare is happy to partner up with Raising Cane's in this campaign again.

Blood drives in Texarkana:

Blood drives in DeQueen

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