JACKSON, Wyo. — Jacksonites will have two opportunities to donate blood next week.
The Jackson Community Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a reprise on Thursday, Dec. 21, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Both events will take place at the Community Bible Church, on the corner of High School Road and South Park Loop Road.
As a token of appreciation for donating blood during the holiday season, donors can receive gift cards to Amazon or other businesses through Vitalant, which operates the blood drives. Donors can also receive long-sleeved “Winter Donor” T-shirts through the company. Appointments can be made online at vitalant.org.
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.
