One Hour Changes Everything

January is National Blood Donor Month, and Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is celebrating blood donors and encouraging our community to roll up their sleeves and donate blood in an effort to replenish our on-hand blood supply for the many patients in need. The need for blood donors is essential and one hour of your time changes everything.

During January, our nation typically sees a decline in blood donations due to cold and flu season, which deters people from donating. However, the need never stops. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood tranfusions, which is used for trauma victims who have suffered blood loss to patients battling various diseases and illnesses such as Leukemia and sickle-cell anemia. 

Patients depend on our local communities to receive the life-saving treatments they need. In our community alone, which serves Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, area hospitals need 1,000 units of blood to meet their daily needs.

“The nation’s blood supply is still struggling to keep up with the need,’ said Brian Gannon, President and CEO at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. “Millions of patients wouldn’t have the blood they need for treatments or surgeries without your help,” Gannon said. 

Unfortunately, only three percent of all eligible donors donate blood, which can be problematic. Blood centers nationwide strive to always maintain three or more days of blood for routine or emergency needs, such as a freeze like we saw in 2021. It is the blood on the shelf that has been donated, collected, tested, and processed that saves lives today. 

Donating blood is easy and can be done once every 56 days. A typical whole blood donation takes about an hour and saves many lives. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is asking our community to donate more frequently and make giving blood a part of their routine as a way of giving back – One hour changes everything!

National Blood Donor Month is observed for all blood donors to come together for their community to help save lives. On behalf of the patients that we serve, we would like to thank our blood donors for their continued support, and commitment to saving lives, you truly make a difference in our community.

“Thank you for being there for patients in our community, and we hope to see you continue saving lives in 2023,” Gannon said. 

To find a location for donations and schedule an appointment, please visit giveblood.org.

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is the sole provider of blood and blood components 24/7 to more than 170 hospitals and health care facilities in a 26-county Texas Gulf Coast region. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is a nonprofit organization accredited by the Food and Drug Administration.