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Elko Edition REaching ElkhaRt, kosciusko, noblE and lagRangE countiEs
April 2026
Vol. 39, No. 2
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
‘You’re never too old to donate’
Hospitals always need blood By LILLI DWYER Staff Writer
declared over, but the need for blood is still constant. Hospitals must always have blood at the ready when a car accident, a difficult birth, surgery or cancer treatment put someone in dire need of a blood transfusion. David Lovvorn, the Red Cross’s biomed account manager for the northeast Indiana area, emphasized this necessity. “Every unit of blood in a hospital in the United States is from a donor,” he said. “It can’t be manufactured or stored for long periods of time, so we have to keep collecting it every day.”
Phlebotomists stay busy - there is always a need for blood donations and collection efforts go on every day around the nation. The American Red Cross, for example, collects about 12,000 units of blood per day and supplies 2,500 hospitals across the United States. In March, however, the organization experienced a severe shortage. During the winter, many drives were canceled or donations went uncollected due to severe weather. The shortage has been
WRAPPING UP — Jeff Wilson has his arm bandaged by Red Cross phlebotomist Josh Downs, left, after donating blood at Calvary United Methodist Church, Syracuse.
Who Can Give?
“You’re never too old to donate,” Lovvorn said. A person weighing at least 110 pounds who is in good health on the day of a blood drive is eligible to give whole blood. Continued on page 2
ABOVE: READY TO GIVE — Karen Griffith, left, has her arm cleaned by Red Cross phlebotomist Jessika Hansen in preparation for giving blood during a drive at Calvary United Methodist Church, Syracuse. Griffith, 77, has been giving blood for about 35 years. RIGHT: FRINGE BENEFITS — Phlebotomist Dee Manley holds up one of the blood cell pillows given away to donors at a Red Cross blood drive at Milford Elementary School, March 12.
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