Blood Donations Needed Before Holiday Weekend

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DENVER (CBS4)- Blood donations typically drop before and during holiday weekends and that has Bonfils Blood Center asking for donations before the unofficial start of summer.

The drop is as much as 20 percent compared to when the blood bank has enough supply. The donation decrease typically happens because school is out for the year and families are on vacation during Memorial Day weekend.

The goal for Bonfils is to have a four day supply of donated blood at all times which will be used to support 100 hospitals around Colorado.

Donors of all blood types are always needed but on Monday, the supply of O-negative blood reached a critical low.

(credit: CBS)

Once blood is donated, it needs 48 hours before it can be given to a patient.

LINK: Bonfils Blood Center

Additional Information From Bonfils Blood Center

There are several ways donors wanting to give blood can do so. Bonfils operates six Denver Metro area Community Donor Centers as well as one in Colorado Springs.