More than 500 donations lost due to canceled blood drives and closures of donor centers
February 7, 2022– Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO), the sole supplier of blood products to 44 health facilities in the region, is calling on eligible blood donors to donate this week to help replenish blood reserve levels, which have fallen sharply. during a severe winter storm last week.
Virtually all blood drives scheduled for Wednesday through Friday last week have been cancelled. Donor centers in Joplin, Springdale and Bentonville were also closed late last week. Over 500 blood donations were lost due to cancellations.
“Although we suffered significant losses last week, our blood supply levels were sufficient to meet the demand from local hospitals,” said CBCO media relations representative Chris Pilgrim. “Events like last week’s storm help illustrate the importance of having these reserves on hand. Without them, last week would have been a very different story from a blood availability standpoint. We are calling on eligible blood donors to donate this week at a Blood Drive or CBCO Donor Center to help us replenish these supplies to acceptable levels.
Blood consumption in Ozarks area hospitals remains high. January’s transfusion count was the highest in three years. “Blood drinking doesn’t stop when major weather events like this happen,” Pilgrim said. “It still takes about 200 donations every day to meet local needs. If you are eligible, consider donating this week. There are dozens of life-saving opportunities all over the Ozarks.
Successful donors will receive a long-sleeved, quarter-zip CBCO sweater as a thank you, while supplies last.
Find a blood drive near you and make an appointment to donate at https://www.cbco.org/donate-blood/. On behalf of patients at local hospitals, CBCO thanks blood donors across the region for bringing your community to life.
