Coffee Memorial Announces A New Incentive To Encourage Blood Donations As Need Remains Critical | National News

A few clouds. Low near 50F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

A few clouds. Low near 50F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.

“We are still in critical need for blood,” said Misti Newsom of Coffee Memorial Blood Center, the organization that supplies blood and blood products to the hospitals and medical facilities of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. “We are trying to avoid going into an emergency blood appeal.”

The persistent blood shortage that has plagued the nation since the early days of the COVID pandemic continues, with demand for blood and blood products increasing and donations stuck at levels below what they were before the pandemic.

This summer the turnout of donors has been low in Coffee Memorial’s region of operations. So, the organization has come up with a new incentive. In addition to the usual gifts, successful donors who give blood on Fridays and Saturdays during June will receive a “Lifeguard” blood donor beach towel as well. They will also receive the satisfaction of knowing that their donation can save up to three lives, including possibly their own or someone they love.

“Summer traditionally challenges our ability to collect blood products, as many are vacationing and outside their normal routines,” said Dr. John Armitage, president and CEO of Coffee Memorial Blood Center. “Donating blood literally saves lives every day in our local hospitals. The Lifeguard beach towel is a proud reminder and reward for our loyal donors.”

Blood and blood products save the lives of trauma victims, surgery patients, women giving birth, and others every day. The recent spate of mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo, and elsewhere show how quickly demand can rise. Coffee Memorial, as a founding member of the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps, a group of 21 blood centers across the nation pledged to helping each other with blood during emergencies, was put on call to send blood to Uvalde in the aftermath of the shooting, according to Newsom. “Thankfully it did not reach that point.”

The blood supply is also being negatively affected by a shortage of the plastic bags used to collect “double red cells.” This is a specialty procedure that allows a single donor to double his or her donation in a single sitting. Without the bags, Coffee Memorial must find more donors to make up the difference.

“Double red cell donations are a backbone of our collections, particularly with some of our most needed donors, like our O negatives,” said Armitage. “When we don’t have the specialty bag sets we need to collect these units, we put our stewardship efforts and emergency response capabilities at risk. … Summer blood donation rates are always lower, but for us to now face a situation where we can have donors come to the drive and be unable to give their fullest and best gifts is both frustrating and disheartening. … Broken manufacturing and delivery pipelines are never good, but in the blood world they put lives and patient care at risk.”

Coffee Memorial officials say donating blood takes about an hour. Donors can give blood either at Coffee Memorial’s headquarters on Wallace Boulevard in Amarillo or at one of the many drives held in local communities. The next drive in Moore County will be July 13 in the YMCA from noon to 6:30 p.m. Donors can call 877-340-8777 or go to thegiftoflife.org to find additional information on upcoming drives or to register to donate. While Coffee Memorial welcomes walk-ins, pre-registration is preferred. Donors must be 17 years old or older —16 with a signed parental consent form — and present signed photo identification.

Donors who give any day of the week will receive an “Adventure Starts Here” t-shirt, a Dairy Max t-shirt, a WOW Pass to Wonderland Amusement Park, a cow squeeze, and a gallon of milk coupon from Plains Dairy (redeemable at the Coffee Memorial headquarters). Those who give at the Wallace Boulevard site in Amarillo will also receive a free pint of Blue Bell ice cream.

Originally published on moorenews.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.

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