JACKSON, Wyo. — Western Wyomingites will have multiple opportunities to donate blood next week.
One donation day is scheduled for Alpine followed by three donation days in Jackson:
- Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Alpine Civic Center
- Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Jackson’s Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church
- Thursday, Feb. 12, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Jackson’s Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church
- Friday, Feb. 13, from 7:30 a.m. to noon at St. John’s Medical Center’s Moose Wapiti Room (in the basement)
Appointments are still available and can be made online at vitalant.org or by calling (877) 258-4825. Walk-ins are also welcome.
“This Valentine’s Day, make patients your priority and help ensure hospitals have enough blood for everyone in need!” the event announcement states. “As an added incentive, donors who opt in for Vitalant’s Donor Rewards and use the code GIVELOVE-2026-V when scheduling their appointment will receive a $15 gift card as a token of appreciation.”
According to the American Red Cross, approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S., and every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood and/or platelets. Nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6,500 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S.
Always in demand, Type O negative red cells can be given to patients of all blood types, but only 7% of people in the U.S. are type O negative, so it is often in short supply. For plasma, type AB can be transfused to all blood types, and only 4% of people in the U.S. have type AB blood.
“Red blood cells have a shelf life of 42 days, but the demand for blood is unceasing,” blood drive coordinator Jolene Moulder told Buckrail previously. “We must rise to the occasion to ensure hospital shelves, including those at St. John’s Health, are well-stocked.”
