SALT LAKE CITY – FOX 13 and the American Red Cross are teaming up for the ‘Reach Out Utah’ blood drive later this week.
In Utah, someone needs blood every eight minutes, but Julia Wulf with the American Red Cross says donations go down during the holiday season and they have trouble keeping up with the demand.
“The holiday season is a very interesting season for us, because everyone’s out shopping, or going to parties and doing whatever they’re doing during the holidays. So they sometimes forget to donate blood, so this becomes a pretty challenging time for us,” Wulf said.
FOX 13 and the American Red Cross teamed up for the Reach Out Utah blood drive, which will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 18, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Salt Lake City Donor Center (6600 South 900 East). The donation process should take about an hour.
“We do a mini physical, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, a little finger stick to make sure you’re a good candidate for donating blood, and then we ask you a lot of questions,” Wulf said.
There’s always a special need for O-negative blood, otherwise known as the universal donor, because it can be transfused safely to any patient.
For more, visit www.redcrossblood.org.
