By: Follow South Jersey Staff
SOUTH JERSEY — January is officially Blood Donner Month in New Jersey and the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) is urging residents to donate blood to help save lives.
According to the NJDOH, each blood donation can help up to three people in need of transfusions for planned surgeries, unexpected emergencies, or critical illness treatment.
Blood banks that collect and distribute lifesaving blood and blood products in New Jersey often see declines in donations during winter months that coincide with an increase in the need for blood products, according to a press release from the NJDOH. Officials at New Jersey Blood Services declared a blood emergency after seeing donations drop 40% in recent weeks, leaving critical blood types like O-negative and B-negative at dangerously low levels – less than a two-day supply across their service region.
“Each time an individual makes the simple but profoundly important choice to donate blood, they are helping to save the lives of people they may never meet,” Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown said in the press release. “Our health care system relies on these everyday heroes, and I encourage all eligible New Jerseyans to schedule their first donation today and commit to donating blood at least four times in 2026. Together, we can prevent blood shortages.”
The NJDOH states that fewer than 5% of eligible New Jerseyans participate in a blood drive in a year, yet the need remains constant. Every two seconds, someone in the United States requires a blood transfusion. Donations of Type O-negative blood are especially critical, as it is the universal blood type used in trauma situations.
Blood products have a limited shelf life and cannot be manufactured, and the health care system relies on volunteer blood donors to ensure a safe and stable supply of blood products is available to help meet the medical needs of patients in our communities, according to the NJDOH.
Individuals can donate different types of blood products essential for treating a wide array of medical needs: whole blood donation, the most common type, takes about an hour and can be given every 56 days; platelet donation, crucial for cancer patients and burn victims, can be given every seven days; plasma donation, often used in trauma care, can be given every 28 days; and double red cell donation, allowing donors to give two units of red blood cells in one visit, can be given every 112 days.
Individuals who are at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood in New Jersey.
To find a Red Cross blood drive near you, click here.
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