Blood knows no language

Upper Austrian Red Cross and DIGITAL MILE make blood donations international

DIGITAL MILE Linz has been organizing blood donation campaigns for five years and enables employees to donate blood directly at the workplace twice a year.

Until recently, the majority of international professionals - so-called expats - were excluded from donating blood. The reason: a lack of German language skills. According to the Blood Safety Act, however, it must be ensured that donors fully understand the information provided during the medical consultation. This was ensured at the blood drive on May 7, 2025. For two years, the companies of DIGITAL MILE Linz have been committed to making it possible for all employees to donate blood.

Expats from the DIGITAL MILE companies were able to donate blood in Austria for the first time. This campaign was made possible by the commitment of the Upper Austrian Red Cross. "The safety and quality of the donated blood have top priority," explained Dieter Forsthuber, Director of the Upper Austrian Blood Center, about the extensive preparatory measures.

In general, it is becoming increasingly important to recruit people with a non-German mother tongue as donors. Another challenge for blood donation campaigns is the urban-rural divide: While the donation rate in rural areas is around 4%, it is only around 1% in cities.

The Upper Austrian Red Cross blood donation service supplies all Upper Austrian hospitals with blood and blood products 365 days a year, around the clock. Blood is the number one emergency medicine. Every year, the Upper Austrian Red Cross organizes around 800 blood donation campaigns, 100 of which are held at companies throughout the province - an important opportunity to recruit many first-time donors.

"Blood cannot be produced artificially, and every donation can save lives. Initiatives such as the DIGITAL MILE can motivate more people to donate blood regularly. Our highly trained staff look after the donors throughout the entire blood donation process," says Upper Austrian Red Cross President Gottfried Hirz.

The employees of DIGITAL MILE have been making an active contribution for years: not only have they repeatedly taken part in the company's internal campaigns, they have also brought many people into contact with blood donation for the first time - and motivated them to donate regularly. Yesterday, 48 people came to the blood drive, 41 were able to donate blood, including 13 first-time donors.

"I am particularly proud that we now also have our international colleagues on board," says Georg Spiesberger, initiator of the DIGITAL MILE Linz. "In this way, we are making integration tangible and helping to save lives at the same time."

The first two English-speaking blood donors of the DIGITAL MILE!