Volunteers hope to increase blood donations in Whitefish

Every 27 minutes someone in Montana needs blood. On average, a car accident victim requires three pints of blood. Less than 10 percent of the U.S. population eligible to donate blood actually does so each year.

The American Red Cross can give a list of facts that revolve around the need for blood donation — but the reason to donate is often more simple.

“People don’t really think about it — they always assume blood is there for you if you need it,” Merry Lynn Southers said. “But there’s no substitute for blood and there’s a constant need for donors.”

Southers spent years donating blood before a health issue forced her to stop. Now, she’s become a volunteer for the Red Cross making phone calls and checking in donors.

The Red Cross holds a Whitefish Community Blood Drive every other month. At one point the drive collected upwards of 50 pints of blood, but more recently that number has fallen to about half.

The Whitefish drive has suffered through a rough patch by changing locations several times and losing its sponsor.

Southers, along with fellow volunteer Jean Loercher, want to see the drive return to what it once was. The pair have been making phone calls and putting up posters as they try to get the word out to as many people as possible.

“Anyone can do it. It doesn’t cost anything and giving blood is easy,” Loercher said.

There are a few eligibility requirements to give blood, but generally most healthy adults can donate every eight weeks.

The Community Blood Drive held in January drew many regulars and even a few newcomers. Whether they’ve been giving for years or not, there seems to be a common theme among donors of just wanting to help others.

Bill Burg is a regular donor and has been for the last 50 years since college. He said he was an intermittent donor in his younger years while serving in the military, but after moving to towns with local drives he’s been consistent. Before moving to Whitefish, he gave in Seattle, Pennsylvania and California.

“It’s part of giving back to the community,” he said.

As she sat in a chair making her donation, Nancy Moran said she’s been giving blood on and off for about 35 years.

“It makes me feel good,” she said. “If I can do it, anybody can.”

Sandy Carlson, donor recruitment representative for the Red Cross in Kalispell, said donations in the area have been down slightly since November. She said an early round of the flu forced some regular donors to cancel.

The Kalispell Red Cross services towns in a 130-mile area from Libby to Browning and Polson with about 25 blood drives held per month in the various communities. All blood donated in the area remains at local hospitals.

“Many donors just want to do something to help,” Carlson said.

Carlson said folks can’t always afford a monetary donation, but with the Red Cross donating means giving blood rather than writing a check.

The process to donate is fairly simple. Donors must be healthy, at least 17 years old or 16 with parental consent, and weigh at least 110 pounds.

Appointments are scheduled and the entire process takes about an hour. Once arriving, a donor checks in at a registration table and is required to read information about donating blood.

The second step is to go through a brief health history during a confidential interview to ensure donors are eligible and healthy. This step also includes a check of temperature, pulse, blood pressure and hemoglobin level.

Next the donation is taken. The actual time for the donation is about 10 minutes to collect a pint.

Finally, donors have a snack and something to drink. They can leave the site after 10-15 minutes and continue with normal activity.

“We try to make it a good experience so donors will come back,” Carlson said.

The Whitefish Community Blood Drive is held on the third Thursday of odd number months.

The next drive will be Thursday, March 20 at The Wave from noon to 5 p.m. To schedule an appointment or for information, call Jean at 862-4332.