MOLINE, Ill. — A blood supply shortage has ImpactLife reaching out for what they call an "urgent" and "critical" need for donations.
ImpactLife is considered the exclusive provider of blood and blood components for all hospitals in the Quad Cities region.
According to ImpactLife Manager Kirby Winn, the Quad Cities region's current blood supply is less than a five-day supply of red blood cells for nearly all blood types.
Type-O donors are most needed, since it's a universal donor type, while O-negative and O-positive inventories are at just a one to two-day supply. ImpactLife is also asking for platelet and plasma donors of all types, especially type AB.
Donors must be 17-years or older (or 16-years-old with a signed permission slip) and weigh at least 110 pounds. They are also required to be in general good health to meet basic donation requirements.
More information on how and where to donate can be found here.
Winn also says one of the biggest factors is the shortage of staff available to work on mobile blood drives.
"In the past we've been impacted by severe weather, holidays, and of course blood drive cancellations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the staffing issue is a more recent phenomenon," Winn said. "All of our 'fixed site' donation centers remain open and most mobile blood drive bookings we have to consider cancelling or rescheduling some of these events to optimize the staff we have available."
People interested in joining the ImpactLife team can apply here.