Why Donate?

Blood is essential to human life.

Every two seconds, a person in the US will need a blood transfusion. .

Blood cannot be synthetically replicated or produced, so there is no substitute. It is also perishable, with a unit of blood lasting only 42 days (and only 5 days for platelets). Because of this brief shelf life, there is a constant need for new volunteer donors. .

Volunteers may donate:

• Whole blood - This is the quickest, easiest, and most common type of donation
• Platelets - Blood cell fragments that help stop or prevent bleeding
• Plasma - The liquid portion of your blood that transports water and nutrients to body tissues
• Double Red Blood Cells - Red blood cells only

Although most of the US population is eligible to donate blood, only 3% of people do so on a regular basis. .

Sharing your blood, even if only once per year, may help patients of all ages, including heart surgery patients, trauma victims, and those battling cancer. .

In essence, blood saves lives.