As Delmarva begins to slowly reopen and hospitals anticipate the return of elective surgeries, Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) is issuing an urgent call for healthy blood donors. The need for red blood cells has rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels, but the blood supply is dangerously low.
In order to maintain a safe blood supply, a seven-day inventory of all blood types must be continually replenished. Right now, reserves are far below that minimum. For instance, O positive red blood cells are at a 2.8-day inventory level.
Before COVID-19, mobile blood drives hosted by schools, organizations, and businesses made up around 40 percent of the region’s incoming blood supply, but all drives had to be cancelled during the past several months. BBD will begin holding a limited number of mobile blood drives each week, but they are far from the 50 drives per month that would be required to meet the growing need at area hospitals. Donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment at one of these mobile drives or one of BBD’s three donor centers in Delaware and Maryland, but walk-ins will be allowed when space permits.
“The blood supply is a critical part of our healthcare system. It is imperative for healthy individuals to come in and donate blood so that it’s available to those in need,” said BBD President & CEO Christopher Hillyer, M.D. “At this unprecedented time, this is one thing you can do to help someone who desperately needs it. We have extended hours at our donor centers and we’re encouraging donors to schedule an appointment to visit one of these controlled, safe environments.”
Donating blood is safe and it only takes one hour. We are taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19. BBD 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 are available here.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently revised several guidelines regarding donor eligibility, including shortening the deferral period for men who have sex with men from twelve months to three. BBD expects to welcome these newly eligible donors at the beginning of June. More information is available here.
Donors can schedule appointments by calling 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 or visiting www.delmarvablood.org.
About Blood Bank of Delmarva: Blood Bank of Delmarva is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community blood bank with a simple mission: saving lives. The Blood Bank of Delmarva achieves its mission every day by providing safe blood and blood products to all 19 hospitals in Delmarva and relies on over 80,000 volunteer blood donors each year to ensure patients’ needs are met. The Blood Bank of Delmarva distributes over 130,000 blood products annually and operates four donor centers. Each year, the Blood Bank of Delmarva normally hosts over 600 blood drives. These blood drives would not be possible without the commitment of community organizations that volunteer to serve as sponsors or coordinators, which provides opportunities for blood donors to give blood and help patients in need. BBD is a New York Blood Center Enterprises affiliate and a member of AABB and ABC. For more information, please visit delmarvablood.org or follow us at facebook.com/delmarvabloodbank.