Published by Kirby Winn on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 in News Releases
ImpactLife is participating in a national response to supply blood for the region affected by Hurricane Idalia. The blood center has been asked to send a shipment of Type O and Type A red blood cells to Florida. Additional donations of red blood cells and platelets are needed to maintain the blood supply for local hospitals and for ongoing support of the hurricane region. For information on local donation centers and mobile blood drives, call (800) 747-5401, visit www.bloodcenter.org, or schedule via the ImpactLife mobile app, available at www.bloodcenter.org/app.
![Hurricane Idalia graphic]()
ImpactLife is part of a resource sharing network of not-for-profit community blood centers that supports needs throughout the country when called upon. As residents of the Gulf Coast region respond to Hurricane Idalia, hospitals and blood providers are requesting support from other parts of the country.
“We expect donors in the affected region will be unable to give blood in the hurricane aftermath, either due to power outages, evacuations, or sheltering in place,” said Mike Parejko, Chief Executive Officer of ImpactLife. “We know blood components will be needed for ongoing patient care in the region, and we are glad to join other blood providers around the U.S. in responding to this need.”
ImpactLife will prioritize local needs before shipping blood components outside of the blood center’s direct service region. “We are asking all potential blood donors and our blood drive coordinators to help us answer the call,” said Amanda Hess, Vice President, Donor Relations and Marketing. “We will need to increase our donations this week and next to continue meeting local needs while also supporting the region affected by Hurricane Idalia.”
ImpactLife Donor Promotions
Through September 10, all donors get their choice of an electronic gift card or a donation to support teachers across the ImpactLife region. Donations will be made in partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org. For more information, see www.bloodcenter.org/promotions. Also through September 10, donors who register to give for their FIRST TIME with ImpactLife at a donor center location OR mobile drive will receive a voucher to get their choice of a $50 e-gift card OR $50 donation to help teachers. Details at bloodcenter.org/now.
About ImpactLife
ImpactLife is a not-for-profit community organization providing blood services to 124 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as resource sharing partners across the country. Services extend from southcentral Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri and from Danville, Illinois to Chariton, Iowa. (See a map of the ImpactLife service region.) ImpactLife operates 22 Donor Centers and holds approximately 5000 mobile blood drives annually to provide blood components needed for patient transfusions at hospitals throughout our region.
For more information, see www.bloodcenter.org and find us @impactlifeblood on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube.
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