LifeSouth Community Blood Centers Inc. is hosting a series of blood drives in Chilton County to encourage blood donations.

“Right now we are experiencing a blood shortage, but with kids heading back to school it is starting to pick up a little more because more people are coming back from their summer vacations and donating,” said LifeSouth Community Blood Centers Inc. Mobile Team Leader Karen Young.

Young and colleagues Will Andrews and Brandi Johnson set up their mobile blood drive at Chilton Urgent Care from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Monday and were relocating to Walmart in Clanton from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Donations that are needed now to help ensure blood is available for patients in need include donors with types AB, O negative, B negative and A negative.

Plasma from type AB donors can be transfused to patients of any blood type, as can type O negative blood.

Type B negative and A negative blood can be transfused to Rh-positive or negative patients.

Young said anyone interested in donating blood must bring a photo ID, and the whole process takes roughly 20 minutes.

“People don’t always realize that when they donate blood, they are saving up to three lives with one donation,” Young said.

The American Red Cross recommends individuals maintain a healthy iron level in their diets before donating, drink an extra 16 ounces of liquid before and after donating, and have a healthy meal before donating.

Individuals must be in “good general health and feeling well” before donating, be at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 pounds.

LifeSouth Community Blood Centers will host a blood drive at the Walmart in Clanton from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Aug. 29.

For more information about blood donations, visit www.redcross.org.