 "In addition to all the restaurants, stores, business and offices
being closed, a lot of people forget what happened to the blood
banks," said Margaret Vaughn, government affairs director of the
Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers. "Over 60 blood drives
had to be canceled, over 5,000 units of blood lost."The numbers
come from an aggregation of the coalition's six independent
community blood centers across the state, such as the Mississippi
Valley Blood Center and Central Illinois Community Blood Center.
Kirby Winn, director of public relations for the Mississippi
Valley Blood Center, said his center lost more than just two days of
donations from the "unprecedented" storm.
"It was devastating. The storm really hit on Tuesday and then
overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, but our first cancellations were
on Monday," said Winn, who pointed to cancellations even after the
storm was over.
Most centers try to keep at least a five-day blood supply on
hand, but demand is unpredictable, said Jacyln Thomson, a donor
recruiter for the Rock Valley Blood Center.
"What will happen is that some traumas will take over this
weekend, and then we'll get a call from the hospital saying we're
running low on blood," Thomson said. "Come Monday, we are going to
have to replenish that blood supply."
The Rock Valley Blood Center had to cancel or postpone its drives
last week, collecting only 20 of the 60 pints they had anticipated.
[to top of second column] |
In dealing with an inventory shortage, centers deliver only where
blood is needed, keeping the rest in reserves, said Winn.
In extreme emergencies, however, centers will ship in resources
from other states. To deal with the shortage in its community, the
Mississippi Valley Blood Center accepted donations from Iowa and
Florida.
For now, centers are working to reschedule blood drives and ramp
up donor recruitment.
"The reason why people do get transfusions, those don't really go
away due to a snow storm," Winn said. "It's because of heart
surgery, trauma and blood loss -- events that all will take place,
unfortunately, no matter what the weather is like."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MELISSA LEU]
 |
