Davenport, Iowa, Jan. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heavy snow, high winds, and frigid temperatures have led to a loss of more than 1000 donations across the ImpactLife service region so far in January. The provider of blood components to more than 125 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin is now asking donors of all blood types to help replenish the region’s blood supply.
To find a nearby Donor Center or mobile blood drive, call (800) 747-5401, or schedule online at www.bloodcenter.org, or via the ImpactLife mobile app (www.bloodcenter.org/app).
Weather-related cancellations began with a major snowstorm that hit the ImpactLife service on Jan. 9 and 10. High winds and subzero temperatures settled in behind the storm, as blood drive cancellations and missed appointments mounted over the next week. In total, more than 30 blood drives were canceled due to weather, and multiple donor center locations were forced to shut down early or unable to open at all on certain days.
The estimated number of lost donations due to weather is now well over 1000, and this has left ImpactLife with critically low inventories of type O-negative and O-positive red blood cells, B-negative and B-positive red blood cells, as well as platelet donations from all blood types. ImpactLife is seeking additional donors to help ensure the blood center's ability to provide for local hospitals.
“Patient care never stops, and that means the use of blood remains constant even we lose donations due to weather," said Amanda Hess, Vice President, Donor Relations and Marketing. “To help recoup those losses, we are now asking all eligible donors to schedule an appointment to give blood as soon as possible.”
To thank donors who give blood during January's National Blood Donor Month, ImpactLife is providing all presenting donors a voucher to redeem for the donor's choice of an electronic gift card, 500 bonus points to use in the Donor Rewards Store, or an equivalent donation to the National Forest Foundation. (Learn more at www.bloodcenter.org/now.)
Impact of Weather on Deliveries to Hospitals
The record-setting winter storm has also impacted staffing levels in the blood center’s lab, and has made for challenging conditions on the roads, making it more difficult for blood center teams to continue with normal operations. Visit the ImpactLife blog for a behind-the-scenes look at how the blood center's components production and product distribution teams continue to work in spite of challenges posed by a strong dose of Midwestern winter weather.
About ImpactLife
ImpactLife is a nonprofit community organization providing blood services to more than 125 hospitals and emergency medical service providers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as resource sharing partners across the country. Services extend from southcentral Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri and from Danville, Illinois to Chariton, Iowa. (See a map of the ImpactLife service region.) ImpactLife operates 23 Donor Centers and holds approximately 5000 mobile blood drives annually to provide blood components needed for patient transfusions at hospitals throughout our region.
For more information on blood inventories and donor promotions, see www.bloodcenter.org and find us @impactlifeblood on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, and Threads.
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