SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) –Nationally, there has been a blood shortage.It has meant that sometimes blood has been reserved only for the most critical patients.
That’s according to a recent story in Becker’s Hospital Review.
While things haven’t gotten that bad in Sioux Falls–yet–officials say the local blood supply has been tight.
“There have been times, throughout the last 6 weeks, where we were extremely concerned about how we could meet the demands placed on the blood supply throughout the day,” noted Ken Versteeg, executive director of the Sioux Falls Community Blood Bank. “We have been close to facing difficult decisions on how to disperse the limited inventory and the fine line to keep enough blood available to address emergency situations.”
Versteeg says the local blood bank continues to see a large volume of elective surgeries as the community seeks out medical treatment after the pandemic.
“We anticipate a 20% increase in blood usage for the next 3 – 6 months before we hope to level off towards normalcy,” Versteeg said. “At this point, we are using anywhere from 18 – 30% more blood per week than before the pandemic began.”
He says the blood bank is encouraging residents to donate blood as often as they can.
“It only takes 30 minutes of time and saves up to three local lives with each donation,” Versteeg said.
Donors can log cbblifeblood.org and select “events” to find a donation time.
The Sioux Falls Community Blood Bank supplies blood to both the Avera and Sanford Health Systems.
