The need for blood donations across the state is on the rise. This as the state continues to battle conditions caused by coronavirus. Officials say the need is “dire.”
“We are not meeting hospital’s demands. This is a dire need. We need more blood in order to have a safe supply, our hospitals are asking for more.”
Dawn Kaiser is the Vice President of Versiti Blood Center of Michigan. She says coronavirus concerns have forced the cancellation of literally thousands of blood drives throughout the state in March and April. Many drives are held on college campuses, but with their closure Kaiser says that knocks out 30 percent of donations. And so now, the need has spiked once again.
“With the stay at home orders being lifted in certain parts of the state, we’ve seen more trauma. And when you have those traumas those hospitals need that blood immediately, they need it there now, not after the trauma, they need it now and we need to insure we have that blood for our hospitals. So we need it now.”
Kaiser says they’re opening community centers and using restaurants for local blood drives. And she also wants donors and potential donors to know that the process is safe. Masks must be worn and there will be temperature checks and social distancing; she adds facilities will be properly cleaned.
“I’ve observed myself, the staff who diligently clean all of the equipment and supplies and things that touch the donor, between every donation and every donor, things are wiped down. So very confident in our safe practices.”
Kaiser says all types of blood are needed right now, but there’s always a big need for the universal, O-Negative. Donating blood takes about an hour. You can find out more along with your location by going to their website at versiti.org.
