El Paso County Sheriff’s Office holds blood drive

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office held a blood drive earlier today in collaboration with Vitalant from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Vitalant regularly partners with the sheriff's department every three months for blood drives, but the organization wanted to stress that this time of year is when donations are most in need.

"Everybody's out on holidays, so we have a hard time getting blood," Edith Arrunada, account manager for Vitalant, said. "That is why we asked the sheriff for help... It is the worst month of the year."

Arrunada also stressed that as long as one feels okay, brings their I.D., and has forty-five minutes to spare, donating blood is an easy process.

The organization has seen falling rates of blood donation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now trying to educate people about the importance of blood donation and encourage them to start donating again.