Blood banks in Delaware are in a critical need of donors. Blood supplies regularly drop in summertime because people are traveling and not making time to donate.
Blood banks also lose student donors while school is out for summer. They typically make up about 13 percent of the blood supply.
There’s a constant need for blood because it has a shelf life of 42 days, according to Mark Waite of theBlood Bank ofDelmarva, which supplies blood to 18 hospitals on the Delmarva Peninsula.
“Platelets that have clotting factors in them for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy only have a shelf life of five days,” he said.
Supplies are also low because only 35 percent of the American population qualifies for the donor pool, according to Wait.
Less than 10 percent of eligible donors give blood.
Hospitals in Delaware are transferring blood around the state to meet need.
If you want to donate blood you need to be at least 17 years old, weigh more than 110 pounds and be in good health.
You can find a link to donation centers HERE.