LAFAYETTE, Colo. — During the month of May, Vitalant Blood Donation has partnered with women’s health advocates, Colorado hospitals and the community to support women who have experienced pregnancy-related complications.
“Five percent of pregnancies in the U.S. actually have such high levels of bleeding that’s concerning and needs treatment,” said Dr. Vy Rossi, a OBGYN physician. “And of those five percent, one in thirteen needs a blood transfusion.”
In 2020, Dr. Rossi founded Donate for Mothers in partnership with Vitalant. It’s a chance to raise awareness about pregnancy-related bleeding that can be life-threatening for mothers.
“So if you thought about it, if you sent out the Broncos, their roster of 50 players, and every time they came off the field, two or three of them were bleeding severely, you would know about that,” said Dr. Rossi. “We would make that a huge campaign across the nation, and people would donate more for it.”
During May, more than 40 hospital and community blood drives, along with all ten Colorado Vitalant donation centers celebrated Donate for Mothers.
“I think when you are talking about mothers and how universal the love of mothers is, I think it’s a really important reason for people to come and donate,” said Dr. Rossi.
The Donate for Mothers campaign has expanded outside Colorado to locations in South Dakota and Wyoming, as well. Dr. Rossi hopes it will expand even further.
“We’ve got big hopes that Donate for Mothers will be something that is on everybody’s mind for the entire month of May across the nation. That would be my hope.”
You can find a full list of drives and learn how to donate on the Vitalant website.
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