In the wake of Hurricane Matthew’s rampage through Florida’s east coast, emergency blood donations are needed in Gainesville, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers announced today.
The centers, which continually supply blood to more than 100 hospitals in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, suspended its Florida operations Friday due to high winds brought by the storm.
As a result, the reserve supply of blood at LifeSouth’s Gainesville centers has fallen to emergency levels, said Laura Bialeck, LifeSouth’s North Florida community development coordinator.
“I’ve worked here for 10 years. This is the first time we had to suspend operations for the whole state,” she said.
The centers, which serve local hospitals, currently have less than a two-day reserve supply of blood left and are especially in need of type O negative blood and apheresis platelets, she said. The situation is worsened by the surge of coastal evacuees being admitted to Gainesville hospitals.
Faced with a patient in critical condition, a hospital could quickly run through the limited reserves, she said. To keep the hospitals fully stocked, Bialeck said centers and bloodmobiles
need about 100 donations per day.
“We are the sole supplier to the area,” she said. “This is a matter of the community coming together to supply the hospitals.”
Where to donate:
From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. today, a bloodmobile at Regal Royal Park Stadium 16, located at 3702 W. Newberry Road, will be accepting donations.
On Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., there will be another on Flavet Field. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, there will be one at The Family Church, located at 2022 SW 122nd St., and another from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lowe’s located at 3101 Clark Butler Blvd.
There will also be bloodmobiles Monday at the Hub and near Century Tower from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, donors can visit the LifeSouth donor center located at 1221 NW 13th St.
To find a bloodmobile near you, visit www.lifesouth.org or call 1-888-795-2707.
Donors must be at least 17 years old or 16 with parental supervision. They must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and present a valid photo ID.
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@jawosmond
