SunCoast Blood Bank encourages blood donations

Sarasota might have missed the worst of Hurricane Irma.

Yet many in the Sarasota area still felt the storm’s effects, including Suncoast Blood Bank.

“We were actually planning on being not able to collect for three days, but it was four days instead,” Suncoast Blood Bank Communications Coordinator Bailey Christie said. “So we really needed to amp up collections afterwards.”

Christie said while some may associate a blood shortage with trauma-related incidents, that isn’t necessarily the case.

“Well, we need blood all the time, especially during a hurricane,” Christie said.  “I think a lot of people don’t know that people who are in hospitals, who were in hospitals before the hurricane, need blood. There are people with blood disorders. There are people battling cancer and those people need blood. It’s not just for trauma victims and for somebody that got hurt during the hurricane.”

With that in mind, Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Suncoast Blood Bank teamed up to host a blood drive at the Michael’s On East, 1212 S. East Ave. Christie said the drive prioritizes local needs.

“Our goal is to meet the needs in our community first and if there is an extra need somewhere else in Florida … we want to be able to help them as well,” she said.

The drive continues until 6 tonight. However, Christie encourages residents who might not be able to make it to Michaels in time to donate to visit scbb.org for a full list of donation opportunities.

“I think the number one reason people don’t give blood is because they just don’t think about it,” she said.”People just don’t think about the need for blood. I think most of the time the need for blood is associated with traumas. Some people don’t see that you need it because people don’t see a disaster.”