The Rhode Island Blood Center said Thursday it’s facing an emergency thanks to a low level of supply after last week’s historic blizzard forced widespread blood-drive cancellations, donor center closures and travel disruptions across the state.
The RIBC estimated that the storm resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 blood donations, leaving the region with less than a two-day blood supply, well below the seven-day level needed to support local hospitals.
“While the storm may have passed, the impact on our blood supply is ongoing,” Hunter Shaffer, vice president of Blood Operations at Rhode Island Blood Center, said in a written statement.
Shaffer also explained that the RIBC is in critical need of O-negative blood, O-positive blood and B-negative blood.
Regular RIBC operations have resumed, but rebuilding blood inventory will take time, Shaffer said. Blood cannot be manufactured and has a limited shelf life, making consistent donations essential to maintaining an adequate supply.
“The recent blizzard and elevated rates of flu and other respiratory viruses over the last several weeks have created an urgent need for blood donations in Rhode Island,” Dr. Jerry Larkin, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, said in a written statement. “When you donate blood, you are helping women and newborns during complications with childbirth, people battling blood cancer or undergoing chemotherapy, people who suffered trauma in an accident or disaster, or even people needing surgeries and organ transplants.”
RIBC said that all donor centers are now safe and accessible. Staff there are working to accommodate as many donors as possible during this recovery period.
Officials also noted that recent updates to FDA guidance has expanded eligibility, allowing for more people than ever to give blood. Blood donors may give every 56 days; platelet donors may give up to twice per month.
“There are a lot of people out there in our state that are really great at giving and keeping us sustained,” Shaffer said in an interview. “But just given the recent events, weather, we just have to make sure we’re back to where we need to be. Because you never know when an unexpected tragedy is going to happen.”
