Blood Supplies in Rockford Are Critically Low Again

A lot of the shelves and chairs at the Rock River Valley Blood Center are empty, and that is NOT a good thing.

Low donor numbers in the Summer is nothing new to the Rock River Valley Blood Center, but that doesn't mean it is okay. You watch the news, there's a lot of shootings, car accidents, and injuries happening right now, and most of them require blood transfusions. Pretty hard to do if you don't have the lifesaving supplies needed, right? Unfortunately, this is the reality local hospitals are facing right now.

Jennifer Bowman, Marketing Director for the RRVBC, recently told mystateline.com;

Blood usage is up, all of our trauma centers are very busy, We encourage kids before they go back to college, before they start high school, just come in. And we really encourage employers if your employees are able and you're willing to let them take a long lunch and come down as a group to donate, it will make a direct and immediate impact in our community

Although all blood types are needed, the Rock River Valley Blood Center Facebook page says they are especially in need of negative blood types.

To donate blood you need to be in general good health, be 17 years of age or older (16 with parental consent), weight at least 110 pounds and have not donated blood in the last 8 weeks. The RRVBC also says that most medications do not disqualify you from being an eligible blood donor, even if you take meds for high blood pressure or diabetes. Just stop in and see them today, or schedule a donation appointment here. It only takes about an hour to do, so please put it on your to-do list today!

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