UCHealth Urges Public to Give One Last Gift of The Season – Blood 

Seasonal Lull in Donations Impacts Blood Supplies Over Holidays

Officials at UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Centers are asking the public to consider giving one last gift in 2022: the lifesaving gift of a blood donation.

Holiday activities, travel, and seasonal illnesses often prevent people from sticking to their regular blood donation schedules in December and January, according to Anna Johnson, the manager of the blood centers. The seasonal lull impacts local blood supplies while the needs of patients remain steady.

Facing low blood supplies in Northern Colorado, Johnson and her team are encouraging eligible donors to start the new year with real meaning by donating blood to hospital patients in need.

Donations of all blood types are needed and important, Johnson said. However, the center especially needs donors who have Type A and Type O blood types as well as platelet donations.

She suggests making an appointment to donate soon – and possibly making it a new year’s resolution to become a regular donor by donating whole blood every eight weeks.

“Thirty minutes of your time could mean a lifetime to a person in need – and his or her family and friends,” Johnson said.

Donations can be scheduled at either of Garth Englund’s blood donor centers in northern Colorado – the center at 1025 Pennock Place in Fort Collins or the center at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave. in Loveland. Interested donors can schedule an appointment online at bit.ly/uchealthblood or via phone call at 970.489.8965.

To donate, a person must be at least 18 years old (or 17 with a parent’s permission) and show photo identification. New donors must weigh at least 120 pounds and be in good health. Prior donors must weigh at least 110 pounds. Donors also should eat a good meal before their appointment and drink plenty of water the day before and the day of the drive. The whole blood donation process takes 30-40 minutes.

The blood donor center is also in need of new platelet donors. The platelet donation process can take anywhere from 90-120 minutes. More information about eligibility requirements and the donation process is posted at bit.ly/uchealthblood.

All blood donated through UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Donation Centers stays local. It helps patients at Greeley Hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center, and Estes Park Health.