Make a Difference This January During National Blood Donor Month

Did you know that someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds? In 1969, President Nixon signed a proclamation officially recognizing January as Blood Donor Month. This initiative recognized the volunteer efforts of blood donors and encouraged donations whenever possible. The donated units of blood collected each year will help save millions of lives. Over 13 million units of whole blood are donated in the United States every year.

Nurses and phlebotomists are the primary healthcare professionals involved in the process of collecting and managing blood donations. Their expertise ensures the safety and efficiency of the donation process, from screening potential donors to collecting and processing the donated blood and getting it to patients in-need.

Read on to learn why January is an important time to donate blood, the donation process, and how you can get involved in this impactful effort.

Why Is January National Blood Donor Month?

There is often a drastic decrease in blood donations in January for a variety of reasons:

• Holiday Celebrations: End-of-year holidays are busy for everyone. January often becomes a time of catching up and jumping back into reality. This can make it hard to focus on volunteer efforts or to make time for giving back. Many wonderful volunteer efforts happen around November and December, but this can often result in less volunteering in January. The donations may decrease, but the need for blood donations stays steady. January is an important time to consider focusing on blood donation efforts.
• Inclement Weather: Harsh weather conditions often keep people home, which is necessary for safety reasons. But weather is another reason for a decrease in blood donations in January, which can be detrimental to patient health. Keeping an eye on the weather and donating whenever possible in the colder, harsher months is extremely impactful and appreciated.
• Sick Season: A drop in healthy volunteers means a significant drop in donations. A variety of health conditions increase during the winter months, such as colds, flu, COVID-19, and RSV. These unfortunate conditions impact blood donation efforts. When you’re lucky enough to have healthy days through the winter sick season, consider adding blood donation to your calendar.

Why Donate Blood?

Blood donations save lives. Countless conditions depend on volunteer blood donations, and every donation makes a difference. You can learn more about patient stories here, and read firsthand the difference that donated blood can make. 

These are just a few of the types of patients that benefit from donated blood:

• Accident victims
• Burn victims
• Heart surgery patients
• Organ transplant patients
• Cancer patients
• Trauma patients
• Sickle cell patients
• Patients with chronic disease

Types of Donations

There are many ways to become a volunteer blood donor, and all types are needed. You can check the full list of donation types and eligibility requirements here. Some types of blood donations include:

• Whole Blood Donation: This type of donation is what is most commonly thought of when referring to donating blood. To donate whole blood, you must be at least 16 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. You must also be feeling well and in generally good health. Whole blood donations can be made up to 6 times a year.
• Power Red Donation: This is similar to a whole blood donation, but a Power Red donation involves a special machine that helps you safely donate two units of red blood cells during a single donation experience, while then returning your plasma and platelets to you. For this type of donation, you must also be in generally good health and feeling well that day, and there are stricter weight and age requirements for safety reasons.
• Platelet Donation: A platelet donation can be done more frequently than other donation types — every 7 days, up to 24 times a year. The age requirement in most states is 17, and you must be in generally good health.
• AB Elite Plasma Donation: This donation requires AB blood type. During a plasma-only donation, blood is drawn and sent through a machine to collect your plasma before your red cells and platelets are safely returned to you. This takes a few minutes longer than donating blood, and can significantly help patients in need.

How Donations Help

Blood donations are used in a variety of ways to help patients. For cancer patients, platelet donations help because their condition prevents their body from producing their own platelets. In trauma situations, red blood cell donations help with carrying oxygen throughout the body while plasma donations can help a patient stop bleeding or maintain blood pressure. A single donation of any blood type can go on to help more than one patient.  

How to Donate Blood

Giving blood can sometimes be intimidating for first-time donors, or even those who have donated before. Knowing how to donate and what to expect can help you have a smooth experience.

Rules and Regulations of Blood Donation

There are rules and regulations closely followed in blood donation protocol to keep all donors and recipients safe and well cared for. These regulations are now more inclusive and flexible than they have been in the past. Risk assessment questions based on gender and sexual orientation have been eliminated, with all blood donors now being asked the same questions regardless of their identity. Individual risk assessments have replaced standardized deferrals, allowing more donors to determine eligibility based on their individual situation. 

Steps to Donate

1. Register and Find a Blood Drive: You can set up a Red Cross account and search for a local blood drive, or keep your eye out for community events or traveling donation trucks.
2. Make an appointment: Sometimes scheduling a donation in advance can help you make the time for volunteering. You can also sign up for a RapidPass, allowing you to conveniently complete any paperwork reading or health history questions online before going to the blood drive. You can also download the Blood Donor App to conveniently track your donation history or set up future appointments.
3. Registration: When arriving at the blood drive, you’ll need to complete any registration information that you haven’t completed in advance. You’ll also be asked to show an ID.
4. Health History and Mini-Physical: If you didn’t fill in your health history online in advance, you’ll answer some questions in a private interview or on a device. You’ll also receive a general health check to make sure you’re feeling well enough to donate blood that day. You can always view the results of your mini-physical in the Blood Donor App or online. 
5. Blood Donation: Then, it will be time to donate! You’ll sit down while you donate one pint of blood, which typically takes less than 10 minutes. The donation is typically very painless and involves light hand squeezing to stimulate blood flow.
6. Recovery: After donating, it’s important to monitor how you feel before leaving. You’ll spend 10–15 minutes having a refreshment and hydrating before you leave.
7. Help Spread the Word: One of the most important parts of donating blood is simply sharing the experience with others, and hopefully encouraging someone else to donate as well. Inspiring someone else to become a volunteer blood donor can have a significant exponential impact.

Blood Donor Volunteering at SHC

Supplemental Health Care (SHC), a leading healthcare and school staffing company, recognizes the importance of blood donation and continues to host events to donate and provide time off for internal employees to volunteer. SHC employees have participated in both office and virtual events across the country. The team is grateful for the volunteers who have shown up for their communities, supporting blood banks nationwide to care for numerous patients in need. 

As a company focused on caring, SHC is proud to connect nurses, phlebotomists, and other healthcare and school professionals with opportunities to better serve patients and students. If you’re looking for a team that delivers world-class service and career opportunities, reach out today to find an opportunity that’s right for you!