By Gus Hammond EBS Contributor
BIG SKY – Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there has been a domestic blood shortage in the United States including rural hospitals in Montana and Wyoming. On May 31, Lone Peak High School, in partnership with the American Red Cross, will host its first blood drive in three years to do its part in alleviating this shortage.
“We are doing this because there is a massive blood shortage throughout all of Montana,” said Student Council President Luke Kirchmayr, who helped organize the event. The current shortage is the worst in over a decade, according to the Red Cross, which calls the situation a “national blood crisis” on its website.
“Since this is normally a tradition for us, we are attempting to re-establish our relationship with the Red Cross so we can contribute to the greater area of Big Sky,” Kirchmayr said.
LPHS Student Council is renewing its longstanding tradition of holding blood drives and doing its part to help address the national shortage on a local scale.
The blood drive will be held at LPHS in the Bough-Dolan Athletic Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 31. Visit redcrossblood.org to sign up for a donation time or visit the front office at LPHS for a form. The most common donation collects approximately a pint of blood and usually takes about an hour.
