Wintry weather heading for South Carolina this weekend could disrupt a number of things, including the supply of blood.
Robert Rainer, medical director at The Blood Connection, a Piedmont-based blood donations collection organization with mobile and on-site locations around the Southeast, says that blood supply is already low, following the holiday season.
But now that a large winter storm from the Northeast is barreling down on Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, many parts of the four states Blood Connection, or TBC, collects in could be shut down by the weekend.
And that, Rainer says, can set back an already short supply of blood.
“We generally have a three-to-four-day supply of blood,” Rainer says. “We usually collect about 1,000 units a day. So, with those two days of not collecting anything, we just feel our inventory is going to get depleted.”
Rainer says that once blood supply gets too low, it gets “very, very, very hard” to catch up.
"So, what we're asking people to do is just be a little cognizant of that," he says. "And if they can get out Wednesday, Thursday and come in and donate, that would just be greatly appreciated.”
TBC is offering donors a special incentive to encourage immediate action: $50 in TBC rewards for blood donations at mobile drives and $70 in TBC rewards for donations at any TBC Community Donation Center through Friday, Jan. 10.
Rainer says Type-O, positive or negative, is always welcome, but that every type of blood is needed.
He also says that since some parts of South Carolina are not expected to get the heaviest parts of the storm, donors there could turn out through the weekend.
“The people down in Charleston may not be affected by the weather, and in Southeast Georgia, like the Augusta area, and Savannah,” he says. “We do have collection facilities down there, so they won't necessarily get affected by the weather. They can come out the Friday, Saturday. That will also be a big help because they can help supplement the pretty much the rest of the state."
Donors can make an appointment at one of TBC’s 20 donation centers or find a bloodmobile near them by visiting thebloodconnection.org/donate. While appointments are encouraged, TBC states that walk-ins are also welcome.
