Every January, America observes National Blood Donor Month — spreading awareness about the lifesaving actions of donating blood and the critical need for a consistent blood supply.

The month recognizes the importance of blood donations and encourages individuals to contribute to the life-saving cause. This annual campaign has been an ongoing reminder since January 1970 to help encourage new donors as well as paying tribute to previous and current donors.

At Fort McCoy, blood drives are a regular occurrence, usually taking place about every other month in building 50 on post.

According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds someone in America needs a blood transfusion and each blood donation can potentially help save multiple lives.

After donating, the blood is processed and separated into transfusable components: red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. This allows one donation to be used in multiple ways to assist in various medical treatments and emergencies. The donated blood is tested, stored, and distributed to be used when needed.

A person can be a blood donor any time of year by looking online for blood drives at redcrossblood.org and searching for ways to donate.

People can also schedule appointments, donate, and learn more about how they can save lives by donating blood.

According to the Armed Forces Blood Program (ASBP), donating blood is something that not only saves lives but also does much more.

“Blood is a critical tool to save lives and the need for blood is constant, from the patient undergoing emergency surgery to the person receiving treatment at a military treatment facility to our warfighters far forward,” said ASBP Division Chief Navy Capt. Leslie Riggs in a 2023 story by the program at https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/News/Donated-Blood-Saves-Lives. “A steady and ready supply of quality blood products will always be needed.”

In the story, it states also that when the need arises, the ASBP will coordinate additional blood donation events, including large-scale blood drives that elevate the message of the importance of donating blood.

“An adage within the industry is ‘the most-needed type is the one not on the shelf’; fully stocked and ready supply is ultimately what is needed and always the ASBP goal, regardless of type,” Riggs said in the story.

The ASBP story also states that, according to Riggs, donors with yype O blood are considered “universal blood donors” while those with Type AB are considered “universal donors” for platelet donations. These donations can be used for any type of recipient in certain situations, or when treatment facilities are low on other blood types.

Learn more about the Armed Services Blood Program by visiting https://www.militarydonor.com. Learn more about ongoing blood drives in your area as well by visiting https://www.redcross.org.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”