Camas blood drive aims to boost supply

Summertime means people will be outdoors hiking, biking, swimming and running, which can translate to improved physical and mental health for many.

But an increase in outdoor activity can also result in more injuries, and for that reason, blood shortages crop up during the summer.

That’s why Beacon Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons is collaborating with the Red Cross to host a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at its Camas practice, 5420 N.W. 38th Ave. Participants will receive a free Clark County Fair ticket.

Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood, according to statistics from the Red Cross. Donating blood has benefits for the donor, too, said Dr. Russell Lieblick, who runs Beacon Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons with Dr. Brandon Rehrer.

Lieblick explained that donating blood once a year can reduce people’s risk of having heart disease or a heart attack.

“It’s a nice way to bring the community together to help people,” said Lieblick, who has been practicing in Vancouver since 2012.

Lieblick has a personal connection to blood donation as his father contracted myelodysplastic syndrome, which made it so he couldn’t generate new red blood cells. Blood donations helped his father stay alive for a decade after the diagnosis.

Lieblick said people should stay hydrated and eat a solid meal before showing up to give blood, and should refrain from doing anything physically demanding afterward.

Anyone who wants to donate blood outside of Tuesday’s event should visit www.redcrossblood.org to learn more.