Blood level lower than usual, but no RI shortage yet

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 2/3/15

After blizzard Juno, blood centers around the Northeast took a hit from decreased donations. Some states, such as New York, are suffering from blood shortages. Here in Rhode Island though, despite a …

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Blood level lower than usual, but no RI shortage yet

Posted

After blizzard Juno, blood centers around the Northeast took a hit from decreased donations. Some states, such as New York, are suffering from blood shortages. Here in Rhode Island though, despite a lack of donations due to snow, the Rhode Island Blood Center has no immediate worry.

The Rhode Island Blood Center, a non-profit community blood center, began in 1979. It is the only distributor of blood and blood products to the hospitals of Rhode Island and some neighboring hospitals in Connecticut and Massachusetts and relies on blood donations.

The New York Daily News reported that the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, is urging New Yorkers to donate due to an immense shortage. The blood center in New York normally collects 2,000 units of blood daily and lost 3,000 units of blood due to drive cancellations and snow keeping regular donors at home.

In contrast, to keep up with hospitals demand, the Rhode Island Blood Center needs anywhere between 250 and 280 donations daily. Each donation averages at about a pint.

Now due to the snow The Rhode Island Blood Center has had to cancel a few drives and, although there isn’t a shortage, the center is 650 units behind where they would like to be.

Eric St. Peter, the accounts manager and media contact for the Rhode Island Blood Center, said, “We are really lucky that we have some great regular donors who stepped up in the weeks leading up to the snow.”

Because of regular donations, the blood center could handle the lack of donations. He said that it usually is never the case of not having stores during a natural disaster but a matter of replenishing those stores after the fact.

“We are not in a situation where we have a shortage,” Eric said, “but we just want to make sure that in the days following bad weather we can get donors in our centers to build our supplies back up.”

Even with Monday’s storm there was a blood drive held at the Warwick Police Department. The drive went until 5 and as of 2 p.m. 10 people had made donations.

The Rhode Island Blood Center, which plans drives three months in advance, said there will not be any added drives but will continue along with their drive schedule as planned.

“The main message is if people can they should stop by a local donor center or participate in a drive.”

The Warwick Donor Center is located at 615 Greenwich Ave., Warwick. They are open Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information on the Rhode Island Blood Center and their upcoming blood drives visit www.ribc.org.

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