Blood supplies are low not just at University Health, but across the nation. Dr. Leslie Greebon, medical director of the University Hospital blood bank, says surgeries and tragedies that require a lot of blood supply and can happen to anyone.
Trauma and Transplant Patients Need Blood
“We have a lot of major surgeries here at University Hospital with a lot of patients requiring a large amount of blood,” Dr. Greebon said. “That could be liver transplants, that could be trauma surgeries. Usually they only use a few units of blood, but unfortunately we have patients that can go through 50-100 units or more."
Dr. Greebon said major trauma events that use many units of blood can put other patients at risk. "My biggest fear is that I would have to tell a physician I’m not able to supply blood for your patient," Dr. Greebon said.
University Health relies on other blood centers across the United States to help when our region experiences a supply shortage.
Consistent Donation is Key
"It takes a lot of donors to put in additional effort and to donate on a regular basis in order to keep our blood supply as healthy as possible," Dr. Greebon said.
Marcus Falcon is a longtime blood donor. “I’ve been donating blood since the mid to late 80s, maybe early 90s,” Falcon said. “It started off with a friend of mine. His mom needed some blood and I said, sure no problem. And after it was all said and done, they asked if I wanted to donate some more."
Falcon said he doesn't mind the donation process.
"I don’t mind it one bit, I enjoy it," Falcon said. "It makes me feel good that I’m helping somebody else.”
Become a Blood Donor
Call 210-358-2812 or visit DonateBloodToday.com to schedule a blood donation appointment.
