Amid the need for blood donations, there’s a call for the state’s younger residents to become donors.
Deanna Renaud is with the Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania and she says it’s difficult to get young people to donate blood right now.
“COVID has disrupted blood centers ability to have blood drive consistently with high schools and colleges. And that’s a lot of time where people are first exposed to that idea,” Renaud said. “So, we’re already limiting our exposure to this.”
But Renaud also added that COVID doesn’t take all the blame for the lack of donations.
“However even before [COVID], student populations were donating at an alarmingly decreasing rate. This is evident in data in first time donors,” Renaud said.
Renaud says that one blood donation can save up to three lives.
