Blood Drives are returning to Passavant Area Hospital as available blood supplies continue to give health officials cause for concern.
Impact Life blood centers are returning to hospitals in the Memorial Health System Network, including at Passavant in Jacksonville for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Kirby Winn with Impact Live blood centers says after a surge around July 4th that helped get the blood supply caught back up, projections now are showing that the increased level of blood donations didn’t last long.
“We want to have on our shelves, tested ready to go, delivered to hospitals, a five to seven day supply. Well, the way things are going we are looking like a two to three-day supply. So, it doesn’t mean there is a shortage, it doesn’t mean that hospitals don’t have what they need, but we’ve got to have blood drives to really well, and we’ve got to have plenty of people come out in order to avoid being in that shortage kind of situation. Because we don’t want to have those conversations with the hospitals and the people who rely on us to provide for their blood supply.”
Pam Martin, Executive Director of the Passavant Area Hospital Foundation and Volunteers says they are excited to have blood drives returning to the hospital, with the first being held this upcoming Monday. She says she hopes donors will come out in force to help with the need.
“It starts at 11 am and runs through 6 pm, so that’s an appointment every ten minutes. So in a day’s time, Impact Life can draw seventy units, and you can see how important that is because for every unit you can help three people. And so that is well over two hundred and ten people who would be assisted through filling all of those appointments for the blood drive.”
Both Martin and Winn say that currently there are no walk-in donations allowed at any of the blood drives in order to space out appointments and allow for social distancing. Blood donors will need to schedule an appointment to give blood.
Martin says, however, the location and procedures at the Passavant Blood drive will look very similar to previous drives.
“People will come into the main entrance of the hospital. There will be a health screening for COVID. People will continue to wear their mask, but again the registration is right there in the lobby with the donation stations set up in meeting rooms two and three, just like they have been done in the past.
We certainly appreciate the loyal blood donors that we have in our community, and I’d encourage any person who’s ever considered giving blood to call and make an appointment. We’d love to have you serve our community in this way.”
The Passavant Area Hospital Blood Drive will be held this upcoming Monday, August 2nd from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at the hospital’s main lobby area.
To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-747-5401, or online via this link: https://login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/91284
To learn more about blood donation and to find a location near you, go to www.bloodcenter.org/impactlife