CHEYENNE — Vitalant is asking those who are eligible to give blood in the coming days to help make up for the more than 600 units of blood that could not be donated due to the snowstorm that hit the Wyoming and Colorado areas over the weekend.
On Tuesday, inclement weather forced Vitalant’s Cheyenne donation center to be closed, while ten blood drives were canceled along Colorado’s Front Range and Wyoming. It takes an average of 450 donations every day in our region to meet the needs of patients.
“Severe weather conditions can cause donation center closures and drive cancellations, which impacts the ability to collect vital donations for patients relying on transfusions,” said Anne Burtchaell, Mountain Division Vice President at Vitalant. “We’re asking donors as they are safely able to reach a nearby Vitalant donation center or upcoming blood drive to help build up the supply to pre-blizzard levels.”
While all blood types are needed, there’s a critical need for type O blood donations — the most transfused blood type. In addition, there’s always a high need for platelet donations, which are primarily used in the treatment of patients undergoing chemotherapy. Platelets are constantly needed because they only have a five-day shelf life, while whole blood or red cell donations can last 42 days.
Vitalant is part of a nationwide network, and is asking operations in areas that are not impacted by severe weather to encourage their communities to step up and help out in support of patient blood needs in areas impacted by the blizzard.
Wyoming has donation centers in Cheyenne and Casper, and mobile blood drives throughout the state. To make a donation appointment, call (307) 638–3326 in Cheyenne, or (307) 237–2328 in Casper or visit our website: vitalant.org.
Vitalant tests donations for COVID-19 antibodies, and if a donor tests positive, Vitalant can produce convalescent plasma from blood, platelet or plasma donations while the other blood components can help patients with serious medical conditions.
Vitalant follows strict protocols to ensure the safety of donors, patients and staff, including checking temperatures, social distancing, disinfecting public areas and requiring face masks.
About Vitalant
Vitalant (“Vye-TAL-ent”) is the nation’s largest independent, non-profit blood services provider exclusively focused on providing lifesaving blood and comprehensive transfusion medicine services for about 900 hospitals and their patients across the U.S. Every day, Vitalant needs to collect about 5,500 blood and platelet donations to help save lives.
For more information and to schedule a donation appointment, visit vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
