January is National Blood Donor Month

January has been recognized as National Blood Donor Month for over forty years (since 1970).  Blood is traditionally in short supply during the winter months due to holiday travel schedules, inclement weather and illness and January in particular is a difficult month for blood center blood donations. Few blood centers can maintain more than a three-day supply of blood for transfusions. The need for blood, platelets, and plasma is constant, but only three in every 100 Americans donate blood.