JACKSON, TN: — LIFELINE Blood Services announced today that last week’s winter weather has led to a dangerous shortage of blood across West Tennessee.

“Our blood supply has reached critically low levels,” said Caitlin Roach, Marketing Manager with LIFELINE. “We had to cancel fourteen mobile blood drives last week due to ice and snow. We also had to close our Dyersburg Center for several days and did not have many donors in Jackson due to road conditions. It is urgent that people come out and donate blood this week.”

West Tennessee requires an average of 525 units per week to have enough blood to meet local needs. The inability to draw blood last week has caused an emergency situation regarding the community blood supply. To put it in perspective, if there were any kind of trauma at area hospitals, there would not be enough blood available for the patient. LIFELINE does not currently have enough O type blood in its community blood supply to sustain normal usage from hospitals, much less a trauma.

“We are begging people of all blood types to come in and donate as soon as possible,” said Roach. “We need people to respond now. The blood supply has taken hit after hit from the pandemic, the inability to visit industry and schools for blood drives, and now the snow and ice. The roads are pretty much clear now, so we are asking the public to respond in a big way. Personal disasters are going on in people’s lives every day and many of these require blood transfusions. Please donate blood now!”

This week, Henry County Medical Center will be hosting LifeLine Blood Services:
Wednesday, February 24 Paris: Henry County Medical Center – 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; 12:03 p.m. to 4 p.m.

All donors will receive a free t-shirt. Also, you can save time by completing your medical questionnaire: www.lifelinebloodserv.org/online-medical-questionnaire

For more information, call our FindLine at 731-644-3463 or go online at www.hcmc-tn.org