Blood bank urges Humboldt County residents to donate blood now

Summer collections at the Northern California Community Blood Bank have fallen 20 percent, even as patients still need blood every day for surgeries, cancer care and traumatic injuries. Its Bloodmobile has become central to keeping the shelves filled, hosting 131 blood drives, collecting 1,172 units of blood and bringing in 237 first-time donors since it began operating on June 5, 2025.

Sierra Carter, a donor recruiter with the blood bank, said the mobile unit has made it possible to reach people in rural and hard-to-access parts of Humboldt and the surrounding region, including Pelican Bay State Prison, Hoopa, Dyerville Loop and Redcrest. The blood bank needs 50 to 60 donors every day to meet its mission of providing a safe and adequate supply of blood, but only 3 percent of eligible people donate.

For anyone who has put off donating because of time or uncertainty about eligibility, the process is shorter than most people expect. A whole-blood donation takes about an hour, including a quick health interview and time for a snack afterward, and appointments at 2524 Harrison Ave. in Eureka are usually spaced in 15-minute blocks with 45 minutes to an hour set aside. Donors generally must be 17 or older, or 16 with written parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Appointments can be made by calling 707-443-8004.

An American Red Cross study found donor reactions in 3.8 percent of all donations. The Red Cross warned of major summer shortages, saying the national blood supply fell by more than 25 percent during one shortage and later dropped about 35 percent in a month when hospital demand outpaced supply, with type O blood especially needed. Trauma victims, mothers in childbirth, people with sickle cell disease and cancer patients were among those put at risk.