Hurricane Helene impacts blood supply: Blood donors needed now
PIEDMONT – The Blood Connection announced Sunday, Sept. 29, that its blood products inventory is at a critical level in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Though TBC worked vigilantly through the storm to continue operations, the storm caused several centers to be without power and water, as well as grounded their bloodmobiles because of dangerously high wind gusts and flooding.
As a result of not being able to take donations during the storm, TBC has lost hundreds of platelet donors and countless more whole blood donors.
It's vital that community members step up today to replenish the blood supply by donating platelets and blood. Local hospitals are counting on TBC to have blood products for their patients, which is why we need eligible donors to find a donation center or mobile blood drive now.
TBC needs to collect about 1,000 units of blood daily to sustain local hospital needs.
The Blood Connection is working diligently to make sure that no hospital, EMS or air transport service is forced to forgo care for a patient because they do not have the blood products they need.
Donation centers are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday this week. Donors willing to answer the call to donate blood or platelets may do so at the following donation centers:
• Asheville (225 Airport Road, Arden, NC)
• Hendersonville (825 Spartanburg Highway, Spartanburg, NC)
• Raleigh (5925 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC)
• Wake Forest (2115 S Main Street, Wake Forest, NC)
• Rock Hill (1157 Herrons Ferry Road, Rock Hill, SC)
• Charleston (5870 Core Road, North Charleston, SC)
• Myrtle Beach (1217 38TH Avenue North, Myrtle Beach, SC)
• Florence (1617 S Irby Street, Florence, SC)
• Spartanburg (270 N. Grove Medical Park Drive, Spartanburg, SC)
• Lexington (5141 Sunset Boulevard, Lexington, SC)
• Greenville (435 Woodruff Road, Greenville, SC)
• Easley (5116 Calhoun Memorial Road, Easley, SC)
• Seneca (1308 Sandifer Boulevard, Seneca, SC)
• Greenwood (341 Old Abbeville Highway, Greenwood, SC)
• Roanoke (4873 Valley View Blvd NW, Roanoke, VA)
Clarendon residents can give blood through The Blood Connection on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Clarendon Hall as part of a mobile drive, and on Monday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of a mobile drive at United Methodist Church in Manning.
Appointments are encouraged, walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment or find a mobile blood drive near you, visit thebloodconnection.org/donate. As a thank you for their time and donation during this critical time of need, platelet donors will receive $75 bonus rewards through Saturday, Oct. 5. Whole blood donors in centers will receive $70 in TBC rewards as a thank you, and whole blood donors on mobile drives will receive $50 rewards. O negative and O positive donors will receive $50 bonus rewards through Wednesday, Oct. 2.
Blood drives through the American Red Cross will take place in Sumter several times during October:
- Friday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Shaw Air Force Base, 428 Shaw Drive, Building 806
- Monday, Oct. 14, from 8 a.m. to noon at YMCA, 510 Miller Road
- Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Central Carolina Technical College, 506 N. Guignard Drive
Visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=29150 to sign up to donate at a Sumter drive.