About Blood Donation
Few tissues or components are as universal as blood is in the treatment and cure of illnesses and the management of chronic diseases. There is no synthetic substitute for blood and it is perishable. The demand is constant, and the supply is not.

Facts and Figures

• One unit of blood can be separated into three components: red blood cells, plasma, and platelets - saving three people's lives. 
• Anyone in good health, at least 17 years old and at least 110 pounds, can donate blood every 56 days. 
• 60 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, only five percent do. 
• 4.5 million lives are saved each year by blood transfusions in this country. 
• 14 tests, 11 for infectious diseases, are performed on each unit of donated blood. 
• Car accident and blood loss victims can need transfusions of 50 pints or more of red blood cells. 
• Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy benefit from frequent transfusions: their treatment attacks all dividing cells, including healthy cells such as one's bone marrow.