On-Campus Blood Drives
The VSLC, ECU, and American Red Cross Blood Services are committed to maintaining the blood supply in our community. According to the American Red Cross, "Only 38% of people in America are eligible to donate blood and of those only 8% actually do. That amounts to only 3 out of every 100 people. However, more than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day. You donation makes a difference!"
Fact about blood needs...
- Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
- More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
- A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. (2006).
- The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
- The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
- The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
- Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of whom are African American. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
- More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
- A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
Facts about the blood supply..
- The number of blood donations collected in the U.S. in a year: 16 million (2006).
- The number of blood donors in the U.S. in a year: 9.5 million (2006).
- The number of patients who receive blood in the U.S. in a year: 5 million (2006).
- Share of the U.S. population eligible to give blood: Less than 38 percent.
- Blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors.
- Type O-negative blood (red cells) can be transfused to patients of all blood types. It is always in great demand and often in short supply.
- Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types. AB plasma is also usually in short supply.
