To bring awareness to the summer season when blood donations slow down, the City of San Antonio is hosting blood drives for city employees.
This past Friday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg was among those donating blood at the city’s Municipal Plaza drive. While donating blood, Mayor Nirenberg stressed the importance of donating during the summer months.
“We know there’s a critical need for blood right now,” said Nirenberg. “We are at shortage levels. Critical shortage levels.”
This is the eighth time the San Antonio Mayor has donated blood with South Texas Blood & Tissue, making it his milestone one-gallon-level donation mark. The mayor received a special pin from South Texas Blood & Tissue to commemorate his donation. One gallon of blood can help up to 24 patients in area hospitals and clinics.
After donating, Mayor Nirenberg issued a message to the community: “Come out and donate blood. It’s the summer when donations go down but the need goes up. So join us and donate blood. Save three lives in the process.”
Blood shortages during the summer have become a common problem across the United States. There are fewer blood drives due to high schools and colleges on summer break, which make up 20 to 25 percent of the blood available for the community, and many donors are travelling during the summer months. With rapid population growth in San Antonio and across South Texas, demand for blood has increased faster than donations.
The public can schedule a blood donation at SouthTexasBlood.org or by calling 210-731-5590 or with University Hospital at DonateBloodToday.com or by calling 210-358-2812.
