Tag: Community Blood Center

Blood emergency declared in KC area

The Community Blood Center has declared a blood emergency for the Greater Kansas City.

It is the second blood emergency in 75 days and fourth in 2022, according to a spokesman.

The region’s blood supply is at a one to two day supply, the spokesman said.

“It isn’t that folks are not donating blood,” Patsy Shipley, vice president of Community Blood Center, said, “but that there is a small group of loyal blood donors who are representing the entire community and shouldering the burden for all.”

The gap between what hospital patients need and the available blood supply is growing, she added.

For over 2.5 years, blood centers across the nation have been struggling, according to the spokesman. There was always a surplus of blood in the U.S., so if one region of the country was short, not-for-profit blood centers could help one another. There is no surplus in the U.S. anymore, according to the spokesman.

Perhaps the most significant contributing factor is the lack of first-time donors, the spokesman stated. As older generations age out of the donor pool and become ineligible to donate, they are not being replaced by donors from younger generations, creating a significant challenge in our ability to meet hospital need. In 2019, CBC saw over 20,000 first-time donors. Now, they are expected to end the year with approximately 9,000 fewer first-time donors, further burdening a blood supply that is already stretched thin, the spokesman stated.

They haven’t had the ideal blood supply of 5-7 days in over 30 months, according to the spokesman.

Community Blood Center is asking the community, especially youth and first-time or former blood donors who have not given in the last few years, to step up and take some of the burden off those that have been giving blood. Even if you cannot donate, you can help the blood center by spreading the word about the critical national shortage and need for local blood donors. Tell your friends, post on social or bring a first-time blood donor.

CBC holds blood drives every day, in addition to their seven area donor centers, in order to reach donors and meet local hospital needs. They are taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms. Additional information on donor eligibility and COVID-19 precautions is available at https://savealifenow.org/donate-blood/covid-19-and-blood-donation/.

To make an appointment at a blood drive, donors can call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.

Some of the upcoming Community Blood Center blood drives in Wyandotte County include:

• Thursday, Oct. 20, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., St. Patrick Catholic Church, parish center, 1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.

• Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., First Christian Church – Bonner Springs, fellowship hall, 148 N. Nettleton, Bonner Springs. To make an appointment, call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.

• Friday, Nov. 11, from 7:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Turner High School, auxiliary gym, 2211 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.

For other mobile blood drives, visit savealifenow.org.

Community Blood Center declares blood emergency

Today, the Community Blood Center announced a blood emergency, with only a three-day blood supply.

The long-term impact of the pandemic has resulted in a year of virtually no youth first-time donors, hundreds fewer blood drives and 25,000 donors in the Greater Kansas City area alone that have yet to return to donate since before the pandemic, according to a spokesman.

Complicating matters, there has been a recent surge in blood usage as hospitals perform surgeries and patients seek medical care that was postponed during the pandemic, the spokesman stated. The increased need and lag in donors has created a chronic gap in blood donations.

“As the region reopens, local blood usage is going up and far outpacing the number of donations we are receiving,” said Patsy Shipley, senior director of donor recruitment and collections at Community Blood Center. “Through this new media campaign, we are hoping to raise awareness and encourage lapsed donors who have not donated since before COVID-19 to return and to attract the next generation of blood donors to help us build a healthy blood supply.”

With this campaign, CBC is hoping a bit of humor will help tackle preconceived notions around donating blood and send the message that donating blood is easy, a spokesman said. CBC is using the campaign to demonstrate that giving blood is simpler and less painful than life’s awkward moments.

Donating blood is safe and it only takes one hour, according to the spokesman. Extra precautions are being taken to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19, the spokesman said.

CBC staff are also practicing health self-assessments prior to presenting at work. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms.

Additional information on donor eligibility and COVID-19 precautions is available at https://savealifenow.org/donate-blood/covid-19-and-blood-donation/.

Donors can schedule appointments by calling 1-877-468-6844 or visiting www.savealifenow.org.

Upcoming mobile blood drives in Wyandotte County, in order of date:

• Bonner Springs United Methodist Church, 425 W. Morse Ave., Bonner Springs, will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 15, at the church Fellowship Hall. To make an appointment, visit esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

• Wyandotte Masonic Lodge No. 3 will have a Community Blood Center blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 19, in the lodge dining hall, 2835 N. 103rd Terrace, Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, visit esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

• The University of Kansas Medical Center will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, at the Health Education Building, Ad Astra, fifth floor, 2146 W. 39th Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, visit esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

• Christ the King Catholic Church will sponsor a Community Blood Center blood drive from 12:30 pm. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 28, at Davern Hall, church basement, 3024 N. 53rd St., Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, visit esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

• Legends Outlets will have a Community Blood Center blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, at Suite T103, across from the Old Navy store, at 1843 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, visit esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

• Kansas City Kansas Community College will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, at the Jewell Center, Room 2325, at 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, visit esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Community Blood Center declares blood emergency

The Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City today declared a blood emergency.

A year after the region was shut down by COVID-19, a blood shortage still exists, according to a spokesman.

Before COVID-19, there were more community blood drives at high schools, colleges and offices, but a lot of those groups had to cancel blood drives because of COVID-19 restrictions, according to Community Blood Center officials. Some, but not as many as before, have been able to resume the blood drives.

CBC currently has just over a four-day supply of blood, which is below what is needed by area hospitals, according to a spokesman. The health care system in the metropolitan area requires nearly 600 donations each day to treat patients ranging from trauma victims to babies and their mothers to cancer patients, the spokesman stated.

Donors with Type O and Type B blood are especially needed, as CBC currently has less than a three-day supply of these blood types, according to the spokesman.

“With thousands getting vaccinated each day, we are thrilled to watch our state recover from this catastrophic year,” said Kim Peck, senior executive director of Community Blood Center. “As Kansas City bounces back this spring, we need everyone to make an appointment and donate blood to help save lives. While the end of the pandemic is near, our struggle to fight for those in need continues.”

The CBC is taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19, the spokesman stated. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms. Additional information on donor eligibility and COVID-19 precautions is available at www.savealifenow.org.

Donations are by appointment only and can be scheduled by calling 1-877-468-6844 or visiting www.savealifenow.org. The donor centers in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Johnson County are open by appointment.

Some of the upcoming CBC blood drives in Wyandotte County include:

The University of Kansas Medical Center, 2146 W. 39th Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, in the Health Education Building, Ad Astra, 5th floor.

Providence Medical Center, 8929 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas, will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, April 9, in the auditorium rooms.

Appointments are required by calling 1-877-468-6844 or visiting www.savealifenow.org.