Blood Donors needed, as local blood supply faces ‘Perfect Storm’ – The B-Town (Burien) Blog – The B-Town Blog

With confusion over post COVID-19 vaccination donation eligibility lingering, combined with a string of unseasonably warm spring weather (when donors tend to skip more appointments), record high blood usage at area hospitals, and a national blood shortage, Bloodworks Northwestwarns that our community blood supply is facing a perfect storm an unforeseen combination of events thats having a significant impact on the local blood supply.

In fact, Bloodworks officials are calling it the biggest blood shortage since the pandemic began a year ago.

Heres more info from Bloodworks:

With transfusions at 118%, indicating continuing high patient need (as more surgeries are now being scheduled) and blood supplies hovering at a 24-hour supply, Bloodworks Northwest is making an urgent call for blood donors to book appointments now. Adding to this pressure is lingering concern that some donors may still be confused about whether they can donate blood after receiving their COVID-19 vaccination, leading them to delay donations unnecessarily. The number of donors showing up for scheduled appointments has been steadily dropping since February. In that month, the show rate was 80%, in March, it dropped to 77% and so far in April, its at 73%. Assistance from blood centers across the country is limited or uncertain as a national shortage has impacted the ability of other blood centers to respond. With so few units of blood on the shelves, our community is one major accident away from crisis.

Bloodworks Northwest President & CEO Curt Bailey says, This is an alarming situation and the community must act immediately by making appointments to donate blood and keeping those appointmets to ensure the supply is availabile to meet this unprecedented need. Its unheard of that a confluence of events like what our community is facing happens, but as a frequent donor or a new donor youre directly helping people facing cancer, trauma, and surgeries weather this storm.

For the care and safety of our community, Bloodworks Northwest is reminding the public that donating blood is a critical activity and there is no reason to delay donating after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Bloodworks officials are also concerned about the number of appointmentcancellations due to this confusion. Bloodworks says from the beginning of the month, more than 1,600 donors canceled or had to reschedule their appointment.

Bloodworks Northwest urges community members of all blood types to rush tobook appointmentsatDonor Centers andPop-Up Blood Drivesin April.

Stats:

About Donating Blood:

Additional Resources:For the latest information on COVID-19 please visit theCDC website, Washington State Department of HealthCOVID-19 main page, andOregon Health Authority.

Bloodworks Donor Centers and Pop-Up Centers:Appointments and information atBloodworksNW.orgor 800-398-7888. See our list ofDonor CentersandPop-Up locations.

About Bloodworks Northwest Bloodworks Northwest is backed by 75 years of Northwest history and 250,000 donors. It is local, nonprofit, independent, volunteer-supported and community-based. A recognized leader in transfusion medicine, Bloodworks serves patients at hospitals in Washington, Oregon and Alaska partnering closely with local hospitals to deliver the highest level of patient care. Comprehensive services include blood components, complex cross-matching, specialized lab services for organ transplants, care for patients with blood disorders, and collection of cord blood stem cells for cancer treatment. Bloodworks Research Institute performs leading-edge research in blood biology, transfusion medicine, blood storage and treatment of blood disorders. Patients with traumatic injuries, undergoing surgeries or organ transplantation, or receiving treatment for cancer and blood disorders all depend on our services, expertise, laboratories and research. Blood donation appointments can be scheduled atbloodworksnw.org.

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Blood Donors needed, as local blood supply faces 'Perfect Storm' - The B-Town (Burien) Blog - The B-Town Blog