AUSTIN (KXAN) — This is the time of year when blood donations usually dip. That’s because schools are out, and donors get busy with vacations and other commitments.
But that’s not the only reason. KXAN’s Tom Miller spoke with We Are Blood’s Vice President Nick Canedo about what else is causing a decrease and how to help.
TM: “If you’re making a blood donation in Austin, and you want it to help out people who live here in Central Texas, who should you donate blood to?”
NC: “Well, We Are Blood is the nonprofit blood center serving Central Texas, and we’re the exclusive supplier of blood donations to over 40 hospitals and clinics in our area. So that means that when a friend, neighbor, loved one or even a stranger in Central Texas needs a blood transfusion, they are relying on donations made at We Are Blood.”
TM: “What’s the supply like right now, and does that vary from month to month?”
NC: “We’re seeing a little bit less than half of what we’d like to see in our blood donation inventory. We’ve been experiencing shortages in blood donations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of reduced mobile blood drives being able to be hosted by our community members.”
“The other thing is that our community’s blood supply is still in recovery mode from the recent mass shooting that occurred in downtown Austin. That incident required a lot of blood donations.”
TM: “If I’m interested in donating blood, and I’m thinking what are the next steps, what do you tell people to do?”
NC: “The first thing to do is to visit weareblood.org. There you can find appointments and schedules either at one of our three donor centers or mobile drives hosted throughout our 10-county service area.”
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