• Every 2 seconds, someone in the US needs blood
• Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed daily in the US
• 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion each year
• Only 37% of the US population is eligible to donate blood but less than 10% do annually
• Sickle cell disease affects 90-100K people in the US; 1000 babies are born each year and they require transfusions for their lifetime
• A single car accident victim can require as much as 100 units of blood
• Blood type most often needed is type O as type O can be given to patients of all blood types
• One pint of blood can save up to 3 lives
• One in seven people entering a hospital needs blood. Donating helps accident & burn victims, people needing heart surgery and
organ transplants, people with cancer
• 13 tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of blood
• There is no substitute for human blood
• Four easy steps to donate blood: medical history, quick physical, donation and snacks.
• The actual blood donation usually takes about 10 minutes. The entire process – from the time you sign in to the time you leave –
takes about an hour.