SAN ANTONIO – In January, KSAT Community ran its annual blood drive to promote National Blood Donor Month, and shortly the call to action became much greater with San Antonio having a critically low blood shortage.
With the help of our community, University Health System received a record amount of blood donations than expected.
“We had a record-breaking month in January with a total of 890 blood donations,” said Debra Serna, Senior Laboratory Manager for University Health System. “This is more than double what was projected for the month (430 donations). For KSAT [Community] week, we projected 120 donations and collected 210 which is 90 donations above projected. AMAZING! The media coverage, promos, and plea early in the month as well as for this week helped us keep our blood inventory at a much safer level.”
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What really happens to blood after it is donated?
While the KSAT Community Blood Drive exceeded its goal in January, the need for blood is constant as it has a shelf life for 42 days.
It’s important to donate regularly to ensure that local blood supply is replenished.
If you are interested in donating blood, visit universityhealthsystem.com to schedule an appointment.