Need for blood donations doesn’t take a holiday even though people do

The number of people who donate blood tends to trend downward during the summer months, but the demand for blood doesn’t go down with it.

Abbie Arneson with LifeServe Blood Center says holidays, such as the 4^th of July, can also make it challenging to collect blood donations.

Arneson says another concern blood banks have is that fewer young people are donating, while older donors are becoming ineligible for one reason or another.

Arneson says one blood donation can impact up to three lives.

According to LifeServe, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion every two seconds. LifeServe has a Blood Donor Center located in the Larkspur Landing building on the northern end of what’s commonly called “the truck route” in Pierre.

LifeServe is the sole supplier of blood and blood products for the Avera healthcare facilities, including those in Gettysburg, Miller, Pierre, Chamberlain and Winner.