Blood donation has become increasingly important in the world of medicine as advancements in technology have found more and more uses for units of blood. While most of the blood that is donated is used for direct transfusions into an injured person’s body, some blood can even be used to make medications through a process known as fractionation. Because of the nature of blood, many parts of the blood cannot be stored for long periods of time. For that reason, blood centers require a constant supply of blood donation in order to have enough blood on hand in the case of a disaster, or even in the case of a normal, routine transfusion. Unfortunately, the level of awareness of the importance of regularly donating blood is not where it needs to be in many parts of the world and at many times throughout the year. January is an especially poor month for blood donation because the stress of the holidays and travel schedules contribute to make donating blood not even a consideration for many people. National Blood Donor Month is observed in January and the purpose of the designation is to raise awareness of the importance of regularly donating blood.

The process of donating blood starts with unpaid volunteers who give blood in order to contribute to a community supply. Although most cases of blood donation are solely on a charitable basis, other forms of blood donation can be incentivized or rewarded based on the wishes of the blood supply that is seeking donors. Potential donors must be evaluated first to determine whether or not any health conditions will make the blood unusable in a transfusion or if the donor is healthy enough to give blood. Diseases that can be transmitted through a blood transfusion, such as HIV, are screened, and a medical history and short physical examination follow to make sure that everything will go smoothly. A donor can give blood as often as every several days to every couple of months, longer or shorter depending on the health of the donor and the laws in the area in which the donor is trying to give blood. The most common way of obtaining blood is through a vein, and blood obtained in this manner is called whole blood. About 500 milliliters of blood are typically drawn, and then the blood is stored in a plastic bag containing a combination of several chemicals that aid in preserving the blood and preventing it from clotting. After the whole blood is taken from the vein, the plasma can be separated from the rest of the blood in order to perform specific plasma transfusions. The blood in its entirety is more rarely used than the constituent parts of the blood. Whole blood can also be used in fractionation to make medication.

The site from which the blood is taken is then covered with a bandage, which the donor is to keep on for several hours. After donating blood, donors are kept on site for about fifteen minutes to make sure that no adverse reactions occur, and that if they do, they do not occur while the patient is driving home or unable to get any help. Blood centers also provide light refreshments to help the donor recover faster. The rate at which the plasma is replaced in the blood is usually around two or three days, whereas replacing the red blood cells in the blood can take up to eight or nine weeks. Depending on how fast a donor’s body replaces the red blood cells, he or she can donate again in about three weeks or as late as two months. Using a special process, blood centers can take only the plasma from the bloods, leaving the red blood cells, and depending on the laws in one’s country, a donor can give generous amounts of plasma fairly often. American plasma donors can give large amounts of plasma twice a week, leading up to about 80 liters every year, while Japanese plasma donors are only allowed to give about 16 liters per year because of stricter regulations. Similarly, the United States has determined that red blood cell donors should wait at least eight weeks between blood donations, while Australian blood donors must wait twelve weeks.

While blood donation is a fairly simple process for the donor, the importance of regularly donating blood is not completely understood by a large portion of the community. In the United States alone, about 39,000 units of blood are necessary in hospitals and emergency facilities all around the country in order to help save the lives of accident victims and surgery patients. For this reason, the American Association of Blood Banks, or the AABB, designates January as National Blood Donor Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of blood donation. For almost forty years, January has been recognized as National Blood Donor Month, making it a great time to spread the word about blood donation and how it can help people every day. Although the amount of blood donations decreases in January, the need for donating blood always remains constant, with someone requiring a blood transfusion every three seconds in the United States alone.

The pledge to regularly donate blood makes the perfect New Year’s resolution: why not vow to do something that can potentially save another person’s life while only requiring a short amount of your time? If you are at a loss as to where you can actually go about donating blood, you can use this blood donation search engine that will help you locate a blood bank near you. This tool allows you to make a proximity search that will help you locate the closest blood bank. You can also read a list of frequently asked blood donation questions that you, as a donor, may have before heading to the blood bank. If you ever wondered about whether or not you will feel pain during the blood donation, how much time the whole process will take, or a variety of other questions, the FAQ is a good read. You can also go one step further for National Blood Donor Month and print out several campaign materials to place around your workplace or school. A list of printable blood donation materials is available that you can use to find a flier or poster that will help to educate members of your community in the importance of regularly donating blood. Keep in mind that donating blood requires that the donor be 17 years old or older, 110 pounds or heavier, and certain other requirements in order to ensure a healthy and safe donation.

National Blood Donor Month is a time to remind oneself about the great difference that regularly donating blood can have in your community. Should the unfortunate situation arise that a member of your community desperately needs a blood transfusion, one can only hope that there will be enough blood on hand to help save the victim’s life. Donating blood regularly and encouraging others to do so can protect you and your loved ones in the event that an emergency situation occurs, so it is only logical and right to do your part and give blood.