LifeSouth answers blood need locally and in Northeast
LifeSouth Community Blood Centers is asking donors to help residents in the Northeast United States. (CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – After a deficit in January, blood supplies across the Southeast are returning to normal. However, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers is asking donors to help residents in the Northeast United States.
This region now faces critical shortages brought on by blizzards and ice. “We’re going into emergency need to help the Northeast, as well as our own community,” Marquasha Carter, LifeSouth District Community Development Coordinator, said.
“LifeSouth in North Alabama took a decrease in blood donations due to schools and business closures, but not as hard as those blood centers throughout the Northeast,” Carter said.
Currently, more than one-third of blood centers in the Northeast only have a one- to two-day supply of blood. “We’re asking all donors to please donate so we can save lives across the nation,” Carter said.
The weather-related shortages stretch as far south as Kentucky, where many blood centers could not collect for three days. In Huntsville and across North Alabama, icy roads caused a drastic cut into donations.
“This is actually a national crisis but it also offers us an opportunity,” LifeSouth Vice President of Operations J.B. Bowles said. “We’ve had tornadoes and hurricanes, and other blood centers have helped us. Now we have a chance to help.”
Donors must be 17 years or older. Sixteen-year-olds can donate if they have parental consent, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and are in good health. A photo ID also is required.
“We’ve faced some cold weather, but we’ve been pretty fortunate,” Bowles said. “It has sharply impacted LifeSouth’s donations in North Alabama, where we supply nearly all of the blood to hospitals in and around Huntsville.”
During the week of Feb. 16, several LifeSouth blood drives were cancelled in North Alabama. Donations dropped more than 80 percent, Bowles said.
LifeSouth’s address is 8190 Madison Blvd. To contact the Madison office, call Carter at 256-533-8246 or toll-free at 888-795-2707, email to mdcarter@lifesouth.org or visit lifesouth.org.
