Heat wave impacts donor response – less than a two-day supply exists for most types
The excessive heat that has enveloped the Ozarks over the past two weeks has been hard on everyone. Meteorologists are forecasting that this summer could easily become one of the hottest on record.
Unfortunately, the excessively high temperatures are keeping donors away from area blood drives.
Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) reports that recent blood drives have been running well below predicted participation levels and that these shortfalls have substantially reduced reserves.
Center officials are urging donors to give now to avoid a more serious shortage.
CBCO has issued a Code Yellow alert for all blood types.
“Donations have been down by more than 20 percent over the past couple of weeks,” said donor recruitment director, David Montgomery. “When response is down that much over a period of time, the shortfall can become critical. Please make a special effort to get to a CBCO drive or donor center this week so we can get the reserves back up to safe levels.”
Blood donors are urged to drink plenty of fluids leading up to their donation. “If a donor is properly hydrated, there should be no negative effect from giving blood in the summer,” Montgomery said.
“We are especially reaching out to donors that are fortunate enough to work in an air conditioned environment. They can make a difference for a patient in need by donating blood today.”
CBCO operates five convenient donor centers; two in Springfield, and one in Joplin, Springdale, Ark. and Bentonville, Ark.
In addition to the centers, there will be numerous blood drives taking place all across CBCO’s 38-county service region. It’s easy to find a blood drive coming to your area. Log on to www.cbco.org, and then click on the “Donating” tab. You can look for upcoming drives by city, county, drive name or by specific dates.
Donors to Community Blood Center of the Ozarks provide all of the blood and blood products to patients at 37 area hospitals in southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas and southeast Kansas. For more information on blood donation or to hold a blood drive at your business, church or school, contact CBCO at 1-800-280-5337, or log onto www.cbco.org.
