Blood donations restock supplies lost during severe weather

Brian Arola, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·2 min read

Feb. 24—MANKATO — Upcoming blood drives in the Mankato area will help make up for donations lost during the country's recent rash of severe weather.

The American Red Cross put out a call for donations this week after extremely cold weather forced blood drive cancellations in about 30 states. More than 21,000 donations went uncollected as a result, according to the nonprofit.

All blood types are needed, particularly type O, to make up for the shortfalls in other parts of the country, said Sue Thesenga, regional communications manager at the Red Cross.

"When other parts of the country experience bad weather and all those blood drives are canceled, it really puts a strain on our blood supply," she said.

Type O positive blood is the most common, making it the most transfused during emergencies. O negative, the universal blood type, is especially valuable because it can be transfused to anyone.

Cancellations are expected to continue in the short term in parts of the country, Thesenga said. Minnesota hasn't been impacted as much recently, meaning donations here could get redirected to hospitals in more strained parts of the country.

"We've been lucky we've had some cold weather and some cancellations, but for the most part we've been on the right track," Thesenga said of Minnesota. "But if we get a March storm or blizzard, it makes a difference here."

The upcoming donation opportunities in Mankato include both regular and first-time blood drives. Blue Earth County Library regularly hosts blood drives, with the latest coming Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LocAle Brewing Company, meanwhile, will be hosting its first blood drive on the same day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The brewery will be offering coupons for a pint of beer for each pint of blood donated, said co-owner Jim Parejko.

"It's just another way we can help out," he said. "Our space is essentially available for anyone to use, especially in this case when it's an opportunity to help the community."

The brewery encouraged people to sign up for appointments on its Facebook page. Sign-up options include the Red Cross mobile app and the nonprofit's website.

Parejko could see the brewery hosting more blood drives in the future.

"We'd love to keep it up," he said. "Right now last I checked we're almost full as far as appointments go, maybe five or six left."

Donating blood during the pandemic comes with another incentive. The Red Cross tests all donations for COVID-19 antibodies, Thesenga said, letting donors know if they've had the illness in the past.

Those tests are available elsewhere, but usually at a cost. Results through the Red Cross would be available to donors within one to two weeks.

Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola