Community Blood Center Declares Blood Emergency

CBC urges the public to donate blood to replenish the community’s critically low blood supply.

Kansas City, MO (June 21, 2017) – Community Blood Center (CBC) has declared a blood emergency and is asking the public to please find time to donate blood at a CBC donor center or convenient mobile blood drive to help replenish the community’s blood supply. Recent national tragedies are reminders that it is imperative for CBC to always have an adequately stocked blood supply to respond when communities are faced with patient traumas or other events that require life-saving blood products.

Ottawa Community Blood Drive
Monday, June 26, 2017
Noon-6PM
RMH Conference Rooms

To donate blood call the hospital lab at X8323 for your appointment or visit: www.savealifenow.org to sign up online.

As we head into the summer months, we are reminded of how essential it is that our community maintains steady participation in blood donation. The best preparation for an unpredictable tragedy—is having blood on hospital shelves in advance. This is key to potentially saving lives.

“By spreading the word or even hosting your own blood drive, inviting friends, family, and community organizations, you may save lives in your community,” said David Graham, Executive Director of CBC. “We are in dire need of O negative blood with a reserve that is currently below a two day supply, and that is just too low.”

O negative blood donors are considered “universal,” and their blood type is needed most readily in trauma situations and emergency rooms across the country. Due to its high demand, O negative blood is in short supply and CBC encourages individuals with this blood type to donate today. Our local blood supply has reached a critically low level, with under a two-day supply of O negative, B negative, and A negative.

In order to maintain a safe blood supply a seven-day inventory of all types must be continually replenished. Companies, organizations, and community groups are also encouraged to host a blood drive in July or August to help rebuild the blood stock supply. CBC’s staff ensure that hosting a blood drive is easy and will help you every step of the way.

The Community Blood Center Bloodstock® Scholarship program rewards students who organize blood drives in their community. Students work closely with Account Managers and learn valuable marketing, organizational and leadership skills. Students and parents interested in scholarship opportunities should contact Andrea Boepple at axb@cbckc.org.

The entire donation process takes less than an hour, and a single donation can be used to save multiple lives. Donors with O negative blood type, or “universal donors,” are especially encouraged to donate, as their blood can be used in emergencies. To meet patients’ need for blood and blood components, CBC requires approximately 580 donors every weekday. About one in seven hospital admissions requires a blood transfusion, and with a limited shelf life, supplies must be continually replenished.

If you cannot donate but still wish to participate in bringing crucial blood products to patients in need, please ask someone to donate for you, or consider volunteering at a local blood drive.

About Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City (CBC)
Community Blood Center, now part of the NYBC family, serves hospitals in the Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as eastern Kansas and western Missouri. CBC provides nearly 200,000 blood products per year to approximately 65 area hospitals – and calls upon about 580 donors each day to meet the need for a life-saving gift of blood. The blood center makes timely deliveries of safe, high-quality products to meet transfusion needs, for routine care and emergencies. Website: http://www.savealifenow.org/

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