The recent spike in gun violence is putting more strain on the already threatened supply of blood in western Washington.
Bloodworks Northwest tells KIRO 7 it’s worried about another major shortage as we approach the 100 deadliest days to be driving on roads.
The nonprofit organization is planning for dangerous trends, as it says the number of deadly car crashes involving teenagers goes up by about 26% between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Deadly DUI crashes go up by 43%.
Because it anticipates so many more people will be in critical need for blood in the coming weeks and months, Bloodworks Northwest is urging people who have appointments to donate blood to keep them.
To put things in perspective, Bloodworks says a recent gunshot wound required 50 lifesaving units of blood cells — that’s as much as 50 people can typically donate.
One regular donor said he likes to see in what part of the state his blood may have given another person the gift of life and healing.
“You get an automated email that says the medical facility that your blood ends up at, and you don’t know exactly to whom it goes, but it’s kind of a neat thing to look up. Maybe a hospital you haven’t heard of before, and know where it ended up,” said Curtis Alexander Cukal.
Bloodworks says your blood donation could be used in more than 90 hospitals from border to border.
The Food and Drug Administration also officially eliminated restrictions which had banned blood donations by gay and bisexual men, which was a long standing policy LGBTQIA+ groups said was outdated and discriminatory.
You can schedule a donation and get more information by clicking here or calling 800-398-7888.
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