Blood donations remain a constant need

Merced’s BloodSource mobile unit is making its rounds in an effort to boost blood donations.

On Tuesday, the mobile unit was parked outside the Merced movie theater on K Street, where it can usually be found once a month.

BloodSource conducts regular blood drives to ensure an adequate supply, said Barbara Ward, the nonprofit blood bank’s regional director.

The office’s mobile unit hosts 14 to 20 blood drives a month from Merced to Stockton. Some are open to the public, and others take place in schools and office buildings, where access is limited to students and employees.

Across the Northern California service area, which extends from Merced County to the Oregon border and from Santa Rosa to the Tahoe area, BloodSource centers collect about 800 donations a day on average months such as March.

This number typically goes down during winter and summer months when college and high school students are on break. The problem is that the need for blood is constant, Ward said.

In addition, blood has an expiration date. For example, blood only lasts 42 days on shelves, and platelet donations can only be stored for five days.

The best months for the blood bank are the spring months. April is one of the better month, with blood drives at high schools and colleges.

BloodSource serves 42 hospitals in Northern California, including Mercy Medical Center in Merced, Memorial Medical Center in Modesto and St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton.

BloodSource’s mobile unit will be at the Regal Modesto Stadium 10 movie theaters, 3969 McHenry Ave., from 11 a.m to 3:30 p.m. on March 22, and at Atwater City Hall, 750 Bellevue Road from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 24.

For more information on donating blood, call (209) 724-0428 or visit Merced’s BloodSource office at 382 E. Yosemite Ave.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 8:18 PM with the headline "Blood donations remain a constant need."