By Cassie N. Saunders, County of San Diego Communications Office
Apr. 1, 2025 | 3:38 PM
Reading Time: 3 minutes
One in seven people hospitalized need blood and blood banks supplying those hospitals often face shortages.
To help meet the community’s critical need for donations, the County of San Diego has hosted an annual springtime blood drive for the past 41 years, impacting more than 60,000 lives.
The month-long event kicked off Tuesday outside the downtown County Administration Center with the San Diego Blood Bank’s mobile donation center as a backdrop.
County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Tuteur described the annual drive’s importance.
“As a family physician, I have seen many lives saved with blood transfusions— including babies in the NICU, trauma victims and those being treated for cancer,” said Dr. Tuteur. “I have witnessed how donated blood saves lives and believe the act of donating is one of the greatest gifts you can give.”
