OSF HealthCare Holy Family Medical Center will be hosting a Monmouth community blood drive tomorrow at the Warren County YMCA from 9 am to 1pm. Public Relations Manager for the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center Kirby Winn states due to COVID-19 blood donations have been down, but so have the use of blood in hospitals:
“A lot of blood drives have had to cancel and that has hurt the rate of blood donation, but across our system in the hospitals we serve, the utilization, the actual use of blood, is down somewhat also. Not to say that blood isn’t being used, but it just has been different and lower than prior to the pandemic. A little bit less activity, fewer elective surgeries taking place, so we have been able to manage and maintain a sufficient blood supply, but now we are seeing elective surgeries coming back on and there is more activities in our communities, which means more miles driven on the road,” Winn says.
Appointments are required to donate and can be done online at http://bloodcenter.org.
Masks must also be wore by those coming to donate blood.
