GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The season of giving is over— unless you're talking about a blood center in Michigan.
In that case, giving is as crucial as it's ever been.
Demand is much higher than supply, which can put the lives of patients in the hospital at risk.
"Unfortunately, we have to tell hospitals we don't have the blood that they need," said Liz Dunlap, Versiti's Donor Services Supervisor.
She continued about the importance of donating, saying, "One unit of blood can reach up to three patients. One mass transfusion can take up to 100 units of blood. So, if you have one or two mass transfusions in Michigan, you could see our inventory take a huge hit.”
Dunlap said inventory depletion is an issue Versiti and other blood centers across the county tend to deal with every winter, when temperatures drop and people get busy with holiday plans.
On top of that, winter is always a struggle since schools are on break. About 20% of Versiti's inventory comes from high school and college students.
Dunlap said Versiti hopes to fill 3,600 statewide appointments a week to keep up with demand. However, they still have 1,500 appointments available this week as of Tuesday afternoon.
But, even if every appointment gets filled this week, the issue could repeat itself the next week.
"We start at zero," she said. "We, again, cannot manufacture blood. We rely on the community to come forward and volunteer their time and their blood to support these hospitals. I encourage people to schedule an appointment and come in. It's free. It's just your time and you're helping your community.”
Here's the full press release Versiti put out Tuesday morning. It includes information about how you can donate:
Versiti Blood Center of Michigan has issued an emergency appeal for blood donation. With less than a day's supply of lifesaving blood on the shelves for Michigan hospitals, patients’ lives are at risk.
Versiti saw a significant decline in donations during the holiday season, and the downward trend continues as the region navigates ongoing winter weather. Unfortunately, the need for blood does not take a holiday, and more patients than ever before require lifesaving blood as part of their treatment.
"As we welcome the new year, we are seeing an uptick in emergency room visits and trauma patients requiring mass blood transfusions, decimating the blood supply,” said Dr. Dan Waxman, vice president of transfusion medicine and senior medical director at Versiti. “Available blood across the state is dangerously low, and we are asking those who are able to make an appointment to donate today and to encourage a friend or family member to do the same."
How is Blood Used?
- One in seven patients entering a hospital requires blood products.
- This ranges from trauma victims to patients battling sickle cell disease, Thalassemia, or those receiving an organ or bone marrow transplant.
- Cancer patients use 25 percent of all blood donations, and blood transfusions are needed in one out of every 83 newborn deliveries in America today. This rate has increased by more than 50 percent between 2006 and 2015. The list goes on.
- All of us are likely to know someone who has needed or will need blood.
- One donation of blood has the potential to save up to three lives.
All blood types are needed, with types O-positive and O-negative most in demand. O-positive is the most common blood type, while O-negative blood is the universal type that can be received safely by all patients in emergencies when the blood type is unknown.
To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 1-866-642-5663 or visit versiti.org [donate.michigan.versiti.org].
Donor center locations:
- Grand Rapids - 1036 Fuller NE
- Grandville - 3140 Wilson SW
- St. Joseph - 2710 Cleveland Ave.
- Kalamazoo Area - 524 East Milham Ave.
- Saginaw - 1771 Tittabawassee Rd.
- Bay City Donor Center - 1017 North Johnson St.
- Midland Dow Diamond - 825 East Main St.
- Traverse City - 2575 Aero Park Dr.
- Gaylord - 133 W. Main St. Suite 101
Donating blood takes about an hour. Anyone age 17 or older in good health who meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to give. Parental consent is required for donors age 16 to donate blood. Donors should bring a photo ID that includes their birth date.