The Kentucky Blood Center will be making a stop in Morehead this month. Eric Lindsey, Director of Media and Branding at Kentucky Blood Center, said anyone 17 years and older can freely donate, and anyone who is 16 can do so with parental consent. He said the process, while not necessarily painless, isn’t painful either.
“Someone out there that has some anxiety about the donation process, whether it’s an apprehension towards needles or don’t love the sight of blood, that’s ok. It’s a common thing we face every day, and we understand that it’s not something that you’re seeking out to do. No one is seeking out to have a needle stuck in their arm. The thing I would tell someone, if that’s you, if you’re hearing this and you’re like ‘Yeah, that’s me. I don’t love needles’, is that we have a phenomenal staff that goes through really rigorous training to work with people like you to help you feel more comfortable and to help you feel more safe,” said Lindsey.
Lindsey said the donation process takes 45 minutes from registration to refreshment, and blood donated will go to help a local life. He added that the need for blood donations is always high, and now is not an exception.
“We’re doing ok right now. The thing I always tell folks is ‘ok’ is not where we want to be when we’re talking about people’s lives that are at stake, talking about a critical component of the healthcare industry, we want to always have a great supply of blood. So, O- right now is in low supply and that’s unfortunately pretty normal from the standpoint that it’s the universal blood type and there’s a small percentage of it nationwide. So, we’re always, always, in need of it,” said Lindsey.
He said donations are used to help people in Kentucky live better, longer lives, and that with the upcoming summer months, more people will be getting out and getting into accidents, meaning more need.
The drive will run from 1 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 16 at the Morehead Walmart. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are accepted. Appointments can be made at kybloodcenter.org.