New blood donation center opens as critical supply shortage hits southwest Illinois

A new blood donation center opened its doors in St. Clair County, just as the region confronts a critical supply shortage.

ImpactLife, a nonprofit, independent, community blood center opened the center at 10900 Lincoln Trail in Fairview Heights, about a half a block from the American Red Cross donation facility.

Business hours are Monday and Wednesdays from 10:30a.m. to 6:30p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 7a.m. until 3p.m., and on Sundays from 7a.m. until 11a.m.

The new location opens at a pivotal time, say local healthcare officials, because donations have fallen mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 or not, wintertime always sees a slow-down in blood donations.

All blood types are at critically low levels except for “AB” positive, according to ImpactLife’s website. The American Red Cross already has said this year’s nationwide shortage is the worse in more than a decade.

“Unfortunately blood is becoming an increasingly scarce resource and not only are the severity of the critical blood shortages getting attention, but the frequency of the critical blood shortages are increasing as well,” said Dr. Ruchika Goel, Medical Director, ImpactLife. “We as blood collectors face a huge challenge because of trying to manage the growing instability of blood inventories across the region and, in turn from the hospital’s end, this turns into an urgent need to employ all resources for blood conservation as hospital demands go unmet.”

Dr. Gurpreet Mander, Chief Physician Executive of Hospital Sisters Health System in Illinois, said blood supply shortages can lead to the postponements or cancellations of scheduled surgical procedures.

Some hospitals have been forced to defer major surgeries, including organ transplants, scheduled for patients, according to the American Red Cross.

“Blood donations are critical to the work that we do …we see traumas, emergencies, and surgeries that often require blood transfusions, so having enough on hand for the patients in their time of need is critical to their survival,” Mander said.

Amanda Hess, Vice President of Donor Relations and Marketing with ImpactLife, said the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative impact on donations.

“It’s a combination of factors, the ongoing pandemic, the increasing rates of COVID, people are ill with other illnesses right now, which is causing them to not be able to donate and we’ve had winter weather set in,” said Hess. “... Extreme weather always wrecks a little havoc on our blood drives and our donations.”

Blood centers try to maintain a five-day supply of blood, but Hess said ImpactLife has had “chronic situations” where it had less than a three-day supply.

“In fact, recently our O-negative red blood cells are at a one-and-half-day supply,” she said. “This is a concerning situation for us, for our hospitals, for our patients, for our communities in general. …

“The important thing for the public to know is that blood donation is not just replenishing supply, it’s about having a surplus in advance because we don’t know how much blood each patient is going to need.”

Anybody 17 years of age and up who weighs at least 110 pounds and is in general good health meets the basic eligibility requirements for blood donation. Gay and bisexual men are required by Food and Drug Administration guidelines to remain celibate for three months before they donate.

ImpactLIfe is a non-profit organization that provides blood components to more than 125 hospitals across Southwestern and Central Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer blood donor at Impact Life can schedule an appointment by visiting their website at bloodcenter.org or by calling (800) 747-5401.

To schedule an appointment for donation or to inquire about eligibility requirements for the Red Cross visit their website at redcrossblood.org or call at 1-800-RED CROSS (737-2767).