U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois is calling attention to the nation’s blood supply shortage following a visit to the ImpactLife Blood Center.
Durbin met with officials from ImpactLife and Memorial Health to discuss the shortage and thank blood donors and medical professionals working to maintain adequate supplies.
Durbin says the American Red Cross declared a national blood supply crisis last month, which is only the second such declaration in the organization’s history. He says access to blood can be the difference between life and death, particularly for patients undergoing surgery or facing medical emergencies.
The blood supply crisis comes as donations have reached a four-year low. In Illinois, donations of type O and type B blood are especially needed.
The Red Cross has begun limiting distributions of type O blood to individual hospitals in an effort to ensure supplies remain available for the most critical, life-threatening emergencies.
ImpactLife Vice President of Donor Outreach and Collections, Gregory Lehmann, says the demand for blood transfusions at area hospitals never stops, and additional donors are needed to help fill donation schedules this time of year.
The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is often referred to as “Trauma Season,” when warmer weather and increased outdoor activity can lead to more accidents and injuries requiring blood transfusions.
Despite about 65 percent of Americans being eligible to donate blood, only about three percent actually do so.
This week has been designated Springfield Central Counties Health Centers Community Blood Drive Week.
ImpactLife supplies blood products to more than 120 hospitals and emergency medical service providers across Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri, including Memorial Health and HSHS hospitals in Springfield, Decatur, Jacksonville, Taylorville and Lincoln.
For more information on ImpactLife, and to learn if you are eligible to donate, visit www.bloodcenter.org.
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