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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The need for blood never goes down. Over 60% of the American population is eligible to donate blood, but only about 3% does, according to America’s Blood Centers.
After blood drives pretty much halted altogether during the pandemic, blood banks are still working to fully bounce back.
The South Bend Medical Foundation (SBMF) now has a new center open on Ireland Rd. in the Erskine Village shopping plaza.
This location, on South Bend’s South Side, was chosen to be centrally located where most of the city’s donors are.
The South Bend Medical Foundation previously had locations on Lafayette Boulevard downtown and Edison Road in Mishawaka. Those two locations have closed, so now, the regular blood centers are on Ireland Road and Douglas Road in St. Joseph County.
SBMF is the primary donor for local area hospitals.
For all of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, SBMF will donate $5 per donor to Hello Gorgeous!, a nonprofit that benefits those battling breast cancer.
Nationally, the American Red Cross is pushing for more schools to bring blood drives back. Roughly 25% of donations used to come from educational organization’s blood drives.
That figure dipped as low as 10% during the pandemic, according to Kristin Marlow, executive director of the American Red Cross Northwest Indiana chapter.
“It’s bounced back to about 20%, but compared to 25, that 5% makes a huge difference,” Marlow said.
She said it’s important to establish the next generation of blood donors!
“When we get young donors at the high school age, at the college age, we find that it really increases the opportunity for them to be longevity donors,” Marlow said. “They also tend to advocate for the need for blood a little bit more actively.”