National Blood Donor Month Is January 2013

January has been declared national Blood Donor Month by the American Red Cross and other organizations. It has been said that every two seconds there is someone in the United States who needs blood. The American Red Cross helps keep that blood flowing requesting and begging for donors. One donor giving one hour of their time and blood will save three lives. Imagine what an auditorium of donors could do for blood banks and dying people.

Blood centers need you the most when winter’s temperatures are the coldest. January is generally the season when blood donations drop significantly and every drop counts. It is estimated that every two seconds there is someone in the United States in need of blood and this non-profit is calling for donors as car accidents “heat up.”

There are those who are year round donors, monthly donors and those who give whenever they can. These unsung heroes will be honored by the American Red Cross during the month of January. This is to show appreciation to those who help save lives. Giving blood is simple and a compassionate way to provide giving. Just donate your blood and platelets.

In addition to accidents and cold weather incidents, there are more than 45,000 units of blood used in hospitals to benefit and treat trauma victims as well as premature babies and surgery patients. The blood types needed most this January include type”s O positive and O negative, A negative and B negative. Of course, any blood type is welcomed

Check your local calendars to see when and where blood drives are being held in your community. You can also donate through your local American Red Cross hubs or commercial blood centers across the nation. There are blood donation times listed in hospital directories if you are interested.

Corporate sponsors help support the work of the American Red Cross by giving their employees and the public the opportunity to donate, support programs that benefit disaster relief, or purchase products. These contributions enable the Red Cross to make a difference in the lives of those who have been impacted by disasters and local emergencies.

Those corporations you might be familiar with include Coinstar. This corporation will donate 100% of the funds from cashed in coins. All you need to do is select the donate option and choose the American Red Cross. eBay has a donation program that includes shoppers purchasing items with 10 to 100% of that item”s final sale price going to the American Red Cross.

If you are a Verizon wireless customer you can make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999. All text messaging fees will be waived. Toyota has launched a program for January through March called “Drive for a Cause.” Every time you test drive a Toyota, $1.00 per drive will be donated to the Red Cross if you so specify.

Getting stuck with an IV and watching blood flow into a tube may not sound like the best way to spend an hour, but if you consider that you alone are saving multiple lives this gives donating blood a noble purpose.

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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