Medical experts say that donating blood after the winter holidays is crucial for hospitals.

That's why News On 6 partnered with the Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) and Spirit Bank for a blood drive at the Osage Casino.

The OBI staff said they had a great turnout with a steady stream of donors on Monday. They said events like this blood drive help keep local hospitals stocked with blood in a time when they typically see fewer people donating.

“I guess the funny answer we could give to why should you give. Well, almost everyone has a new year’s resolution to lose weight and it’s a really easy way to lose some weight really quickly," said Ron Walker.

Walker has been donating blood for years and has had two family members on the receiving end of blood transfusions. He knows each donation helps someone in need.

“What people forget is that it’s not about those 'emergencies', that’s what brings blood donation to the top of the mind. What is the reality is that we need 1,200 units of blood every day on our shelf just for normal hospital patient use," said Amanda Harden.

Harden with Oklahoma Blood Institute said donations typically decrease during the winter holidays, which is why they offered incentives like a t-shirt giveaway and a chance to win a $1,000 gift card from Spirit Bank.

“It seems like it’s been more difficult than even the previous holiday seasons. So we just want to remind people that we’re here and that it’s a necessity every single day," said Harden.

Walker said giving is painless and it takes less than an hour.

“Hopefully others haven’t been as directly impacted as I have. But again, it just re-emphasizes, I would hate for someone to need it and it not be available and I know that happens every day," said Walker.