Blood donation in Schwäbisch Gmünd: Bottlenecks threaten supply!

Blood donation in Schwäbisch Gmünd: Bottlenecks threaten supply!

Today, June 17, 2025, a special blood donation campaign will take place in Schwäbisch Gmünd, which will mark World Blood Donor Day. Organized by the DRK blood donation service, around 200 participants registered online to make their contribution to community health care. In times when blood supplies are indispensable, it is particularly important that many people take part in this valuable initiative.

The average blood donor in Schwäbisch Gmünd is 47 years old, while the national average is 54 years old. This already makes it clear that the age structure of the population is changing. In fact, less than 1% of the population in large cities donate blood, whereas in Gmünd it is around 3% and in smaller towns even up to 8%. However, demographic change in particular could become a serious problem in the future, as many donors are no longer available due to age. Overall, blood donations are distributed unevenly, which often causes bottlenecks in blood supplies.

Together for blood donation

District Administrator Dr. Joachim Bläse repeatedly emphasized the extremely important role of civil protection and emphasized how valuable blood donations are for medical care. This was also supported by Mayor Richard Arnold and First Mayor Christian Baron, who are actively supporting the initiative. During the campaign, those responsible would like to thank the Ukrainian association Jednannja, which offers all donors a meal.

When donating blood, participants can also undergo a medical examination. However, those interested should note that certain risk factors such as recent tattoos or dental surgery can lead to temporary rejections. Pascal Geibel, the chairman of the DRK local association, and Irene Meixner, deputy DRK district chairman, emphasized the great effort that the volunteer members put in. Johannes Hirsch, the DRK district manager, was also motivated and donated for the first time in 16 years.

A look at the numbers

With regard to blood donations, current statistics from the DRK show that around 3.16 million people took part in 40,696 blood donation appointments in 2024. This is a slight increase of 1.6% in donation appointments compared to the previous year, while the total number of donors decreased slightly. What is particularly notable is the 6% decline in first-time donors - a trend that those responsible are taking seriously and want to counteract with various initiatives.

The DRK blood donation service not only relies on the support of donors, but also appeals to citizens to come regularly to donate blood. Even in the summer months, when many people don't donate due to vacation times and heat waves, the need for blood products remains constant. “Regular blood donations save lives,” is the DRK’s clear appeal.

There is also an interesting mix of donors in Schwäbisch Gmünd: Building Mayor Julius Mihm remembered his first blood donation during his time in the Bundeswehr, which was rewarded with 20 marks and half a chicken. In the meantime, city councilor Jens Freitag and police officer Tobias Pfeffer have also done their part to donate blood, while Andreas Dionyssiotis is making his first attempt today.

Overall, it appears that the blood donation initiative is a valuable opportunity for the community to support lifesaving. Because without the commitment of voluntary donors, medical care could quickly falter. This reminded us that donating blood is not only a duty, but also an act of solidarity and charity. Further information about the next blood donation campaign on August 12th in the Stadtgarten is already being planned. You can find out more about this at Gmünder daily post.

In addition, there are important insights into the developments and challenges in blood donations on the website DRK blood donation and in the DRK media library.