April 25, 2024
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Winter weather causes blood supplies to drop

Versiti Blood Center of Illinois asking community to donate

By Denise M. Baran-Unland

Matthew Apgar - mapgar@shawmedia.com Phlebotomist Lauren McCormick collects vials of blood during a blood drive at The Church of Holy Apostles put on by Heartland Blood Centers of Aurora and 17 high schools from McHenry and Lake Counties on Friday, July 24, 2015 in McHenry. This location collected one pint of blood from each of the more than 36 accepted donors. There is currently an urgent need in Illinois for blood donations of all types, especially O-negative, O-positive are most needed, because they are the universal blood types. (Matthew Apgar)

Slippery roadways, cold exposure and snowfall after snowfall are not the only hazards of winter weather this year.

Versiti Blood Center of Illinois is experiencing low and quickly dwindling supplies of blood and platelet donations, Versiti said in a news release.

Blood types O-negative, O-positive are most needed, because they are the universal blood types. This means donations can be transfused to all patients, including trauma victims, cancer patients and those undergoing surgery, Versiti said.

In the release, Dr. Dan Waxman, vice president of transfusion medicine and senior medical director at Versiti, said Versiti is reaching “critically low” levels of some blood types.

In some cases, Versiti doesn’t have enough blood for its hospital partners across Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, the release said.

“We simply do not have the three-day supply of blood that we need,” Waxman said in the release.

The winter weather is simply adding to the challenges Versiti centers have faced in their blood collections.

In the past year, Versiti has experienced a 47% decrease in mobile drive collections at business and schools du to remote work and schooling, Versiti said.

People who need platelets, such as cancer patients, trauma survivors and premature babies, could be especially impacted because platelets are viable for five to seven days outside the body. So the need for donations of platelets is constant and ongoing, Versiti said.

Appointments are encouraged at any of Versiti’s Illinois donor centers or at any local community blood drive. Walk-ins are always welcome. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 1-800-786-4483 or visit Versiti online at versiti.org/Illinois.

In Joliet, Versiti Blood Center of Illinois is located at 2625 W. Jefferson St.

Illinois residents can also make an appointment to donate at a local community blood drive in their area. Times, dates and locations of upcoming local drives can be found online https://donate.illinois.versiti.org.

Interested donors should click the “Schedule to Donate” tab to find the nearest drive to them.

To help ensure donor safety, everyone entering Versiti facilities must wear a mask and have their temperature taken. All Versiti donation locations are practicing social distancing and closely adhering to CDC recommendations and cleaning protocols.