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Hurricanes Affecting Local Blood Supply

By LifeSouth Community Blood Centers

Published: Wed, September 10, 2008 - 12:46 pm Last Updated: Wed, September 10, 2008 - 1:25 pm

Storms pose threat to area blood supply
Mobile, Ala.— As Hurricane Ike heads west toward Texas, it’s a reminder of how storms this year have made an impact far from where they’ve made landfall.
Although Mobile and Baldwin counties avoided major property damage from Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gustav, those storms did have an impact on the areas’ blood supply. Ike could offer more of the same.
Currently Mobile and Baldwin counties are running in the red when it comes to supplying enough blood to the area hospitals. To make up for that deficit, blood is being imported from blood centers outside the region, and a major source of this blood has been New Orleans. But Fay and Gustav had the potential to cut that source.
Those storms had a major impact on the blood supply in Louisiana. Not only did Louisiana blood centers cancel blood drives, but donors couldn’t travel and power outages caused hospitals to move patients. The blood that is collected there is needed locally, which diminishes the surplus that can be shipped outside Louisiana. The threat of Hurricane Ike will only adds to these challenges.
“Our local hospitals import nearly 250 units of blood a week from New Orleans,” says Mark Thornhill, director of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers’ Coastal Alabama District. “I know in our communities there’s a ‘we can take care of our own’ spirit, but for that to happen, it requires more people locally to donate.”
LifeSouth is a community-based blood center, and its first priority is supplying the needs of the eight hospitals it serves in Mobile and Baldwin counties. The blood and blood components which are collected locally stay here and serve local needs first, Thornhill explained.
LifeSouth began operating on the Alabama Gulf Coast in October 2007. Now LifeSouth has an office, donor center, and hub for processing blood in Mobile at 967 Hillcrest Road as well as two donor centers in Baldwin County, at 6451 Merritt Blvd. Daphne and inside Thomas Hospital in Fairhope at 750 Morphy Ave.
“Over the past year, our operations have grown, and we have been connecting with more and more donors,” Thornhill said.
“Currently we are collecting about 300 units per week, but to supply our local hospitals 100 percent of needed blood, we need to increase that to more than 700.”
“For that to happen,” Thornhill said, “will mean more donors will need to step forward. And, if those who already donate could give once or twice more per year, it would go a long way toward closing the gap,” he added.
Donors must be at least 17 years old, or 16 with signed parental consent, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and be in good health. A photo ID is also required. For any information about blood donation or blood drives in this area call toll-free, 1-888-795-2707 or e-mail, info@lifesouth.org.