Pandemic heightens need for blood donations

CANTON Two organizations that specialize in blood collections are taking extra measures to ensure donors' safety in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In recent weeks, shelter-in-place orders issued by the state have resulted in a precipitous decline of 3,000 donations for Vitalant, one of the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit blood collection organizations.

Vitalant has a clinic at 4119 Tuscarawas St. W.

"We strive to maintain a four-day supply of blood just to provide what patients need, and currently we're at less than half that for certain blood types," Dr. Ralph Vassallo, Vitalant's chief medical officer said. "It's absolutely vital -- a matter of life or death for some -- to have enough blood collected and readily available on hospital shelves when patients need it."

Cliff Numark, chief of marketing at Vitalant, said 100,000 units of donations were lost at the beginning of the pandemic outbreak due to cancellations.

"We are in the aftermath and we need to let people know that without donating blood today, life could stop for hospital patients," he said.

Ideally, Northeast Ohio needs donations of 100 pints a day in order to meet demand, which has jumped by 25 percent as a result of hospitals resuming elective surgeries.

Todd W. Kulman, a spokesman for the American Red Cross, said their organization is getting good response from their donors.

"Our donors are fantastic; they've heeded the call," he said.

The Northern Ohio Region of the American Red Cross consists of five chapters and four blood-donation centers. The Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes chapter is located at the Ken Weber Community Campus at Goodwill at 408 Ninth St. SW.

"We were in dire straits, with critical needs but our donors over the last several months have really stepped up, and we've able to meet the need," he said. "We're asking eligible donors to look at scheduling two to three weeks in advance because the need for blood is always there."

Kulman said the need for blood often increases in summer.

"Every two seconds, someone needs a transfusion in the U.S.," he said. "Summer can be challenging."

Blood-donation organizations have been deemed an "essential" service by the U.S. Surgeon General's Office and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Both organizations have implemented additional precautions to protect staff and donors, such as taking donors' temperatures, requiring staffers and and donors to wear face masks, social distancing, sanitizing "high-touch"areas, and limiting the number of donors allowed in donation areas at any one time.

"We encourage donors to bring their own masks, and if they don't have one, we'll provide one for them," Kulman said. "We're spacing donor beds and snack areas. We've got hand-sanitizer stations. We're taking every precaution."

Both organizations also are encouraging people who have recovered from COVID-19 to consider donating plasma, because they may contain antibodies needed to fight COVID-19.

Vitalant recently launched an awareness campaign, "Because of You, Life Doesn't Stop," urging potential donors to give blood or convalescent plasma.

Kulman said potential post-COVID plasma donors are asked to fill out an application on the Red Cross website to determine if they're eligible.

"We'll reach out to that donor if they are," Kulman said. "We're asking our donors to become heroes."

For more information visit www.redcross.org, or www.vitalant.org, or visit them on Facebook Twitter, and Instagram.

___

(c)2020 The Repository, Canton, Ohio

Visit The Repository, Canton, Ohio at www.cantonrep.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.