TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Red Cross declared an emergency blood shortage on Monday, as the nation's blood supply is down 25% of normal. In Twin Falls, the newly opened Red Cross Blood Donation Center hopes to make helping out and donating blood a lot easier. To find out how to donate visit the Red Cross website.
In addition to the new location in Twin Falls, field blood drives will continue throughout the Magic and Wood River Valleys.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities Aug. 5-31:
Burley
- 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.8/9/2024: Impact Athletic, 1150 E. 16th St.
- 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. 8/27/2024: Community Council of Idaho, 437 E. 13th St.
- 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 8/29/2024: Burley Idaho West Stake Center, 2420 Parke Ave.
Rupert
- 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 8/13/2024: Rupert Idaho West Stake, 26 S. 100 W.
- 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 8/20/2024: Ambulance Bay/shop Area, 1224 8th St.
Twin Falls
- 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 8/14/2024: Twin Falls Idaho South Stake Center, 541 Orchard Drive
- 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 8/15/2024: Twin Falls County Building, 630 Addison Ave. W.
- 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 8/21/2024: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 847 Eastland Drive N.
- 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. on 8/22/2024: Twin Falls Idaho South Stake Center, 541 Orchard Drive
Script from the broadcast story below:
"I've done a gallon a year for a number of years," Rick Saucier told Idaho News 6 as he waited his turn in the chair at the blood donation center. "I do a gallon every year, so I'm trying to get up to that point this year."
"I think there's a great need for it and i don't mind doing it so why not," Saucier said.
The red cross issued a national emergency (when?) Saying the country's blood supply has dropped 25%.
"We are about 19,000 units short, we're having a really big low — the lowest we've seen in 40 years," Kasey Tupper said.
Tupper is the donor manager for the Magic and Wood River Valleys. She tells me high heat this summer canceled almost 100 blood drives across the country, amid dropping donor rates over the last two decades.
That means there's less blood available for patients in Idaho hospitals.
"I donate as often as I can because I see the other side of it and I see the patients that really needed it," Steve Turner told Idaho News 6 while donating blood Monday morning.
Turner is a lab supervisor at St. Luke's, and his job includes oversight of the blood bank department.
"We've had a difficult getting all types of blood products, but especially universal donor blood products, including O positive and O negative units," Turner said. "So if we get into emergency situations, it can be difficult with the supply that we have in our hospital."
The new blood donation center opened in Twin Falls in July.
Tupper said she's heard good feedback from twin falls donors about easier scheduling at a single location,
"I've heard great things, like that 'we can come in either Mondays or Fridays.' We have set hours on those days so they don't have to find the ones in the field," Tupper said. "But we do still have them in the field."
"I have known people that have needed blood, so I just think it's the right thing to do if you can do it," Saucier said.
