LifeSouth asking for Giving Tuesday blood donations [Video]

MADISON, Ala. — In north Alabama, LifeSouth operates dozens of buses, or Blood Mobiles, to encourage people to give blood.

It’s needed because of the nonprofit organization’s extensive reach from the Tennessee state line all the way to Cullman. It’s the main blood provider for the Huntsville Hospital System and the secondary provider for Crestwood Medical Center. And to upkeep the blood supply, they need hundreds of donors every single day.

“There’s not a synthetic way to make blood,” said Becky Cecil, LifeSouth’s district community development coordinator. “So, if the hospitals don’t have the blood they need on hand, there’s not a plan B.”

Getting the blood from your body and into a bag is quite the process. Blood Mobiles take whole blood, red blood cells, platelets and plasma from all over north Alabama to the Madison Boulevard facility. From there, it’s flown to Atlanta for testing and …