At this time of year we hear plenty of discussions about low voter turnout. However, there’s another pressing volunteer obligation that never goes away: donating blood. Blood donation is arguably the most universally altruistic behavior in our contemporary society. And, unlike other resources available to contemporary medicine, there is no synthetic substitute for real blood. Yet, although approximately 38 percent of the US population is eligible to donate blood, only 10 percent of us actually do. Given the daily need for fresh blood, it’s incumbent upon members of our community to commit regularly to blood donation. Vitalant offers full blood donation services in Western Pennsylvania. Formerly called Blood Systems, Vitalant is one of the oldest and most comprehensive transfusion medicine organizations in America, spanning 40 states with more than 125 donation centers and 30,000 mobile blood drives. More than 780,000 volunteer blood donors visit Vitalant blood centers annually, producing over 1.8 million donations each year. Vitalant supports almost 1,000 hospitals and health care centers across the country. As impressive as these numbers are, the need for a steady blood supply—an average of 5,000 blood donations a day— mandates the need for an increase in donation rates. A consistent blood supply has never been more relevant. Every day, US hospitals use about 36,000 pints of blood, the equivalent of 13 million annual donations. In Western Pennsylvania alone, 450 individuals must donate blood every day to maintain the regional supply. The volume of required blood only increases when a patient incurs severe injuries or there is a large-scale local disaster. Most of us consider donating blood only when disaster strikes somewhere, or when a highly publicized tragedy is accompanied by direct calls for medical assistance. However, the essential need for blood is ongoing in communities across Pennsylvania and the US. For example, premature babies require regular transfusions daily if they are to survive. Sadly, the majority of us don't have to look far to recall a tragedy requiring blood that affected someone we know. Perhaps a friend has cancer, a relative has been in a car accident, or a friend of a friend has experienced a severe burn or other grave injury. All of these emergencies require large volumes of donated blood. In fact, these common personal disasters collectively require more blood on a daily basis than most highly publicized catastrophes. They highlight the vital importance of scheduling regular blood donations. There are several other misconceptions about the use of donated blood to aid in catastrophe relief. Although people readily donate blood during a school shooting or other national tragedy, victims are actually dependent on immediately available blood—blood that was donated previously— and not subsequent donations, as it takes at least 24 hours to test and process these generous donations. It is the blood reserves—not the anticipated donations—that save lives in a disaster. For example, the blood utilized to treat 6,000 victims on September 11 was donated on or before September 9. Because we never know when disaster will strike, a gift of blood remains essential every day of the year. Unfortunately, there has been an alarming decrease in blood donations across Western Pennsylvania, nearly a 50 percent decrease in 10 years. The numbers are stark. In 2007 154,056 donor visits resulted in 89,893 donations; by 2017 the number of visits had decreased to 79,397, resulting in just 44,528 donations. There are several reasons cited for this significantly negative trend, from busier personal lives to a rise in apathy. Even the rise in at-home work has affected donations, as companies are less likely to hold blood drives when they have fewer on-site employees, and have fewer on-site workers to donate if they do schedule a drive. Donor screening has also become much more stringent, resulting in disqualification of donors who have traveled in countries with blood-borne diseases like malaria and mad cow disease. There is also widespread misunderstanding about the donation timetable. Tattoo recipients, for example, must wait one year to donate blood in Pennsylvania. The blood drive, once a permanent date on the business calendar, has been further reduced by an aging population, many of whom are ineligible to donate due to personal medical conditions. The cumulative effect is that regular blood donation has fallen out of favor as a requisite rite of responsibility. The result? Western Pennsylvania’s hospitals were short 82,935 blood donations last year! This shortage led to the costly importation of blood from outside the region and foreshadows a time when there might not be enough blood to treat Western Pennsylvanians, whether they are car accident victims, disaster victims, or premature newborns. Fortunately, elevating Western Pennsylvania’s current 47 percent donation rate is a goal that can be easily remedied. As individuals, we can speak with our employers about scheduling blood drives, make a lifetime commitment to donating, discuss the importance of blood donations—one donation saves three people’s lives—and, whether we’re eligible to donate ourselves or not, spread the word. We never know when a loved one, friend, or acquaintance may require fresh blood. Just ask friends and co-workers if anyone they know has required surgery, received treatment for a disease, or required blood for any number of a broad list of conditions. The answers may astound you. Vitalant welcomes all questions about blood donation online, via a phone call, or at one of several donation centers. There is never a bad time to donate blood. Contact Vitalant today and show you care for your community. https://vimeo.com/290754538