RI Blood Center issues urgent call to keep blood supply strong for hurricane areas

Donations are needed to support blood centers impacted in Florida and the Southeast

Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC) is calling on Southern New Englanders to donate blood amid a catastrophic hurricane hitting the coast of Florida. Donations are needed locally and in anticipation of humanitarian efforts that will be necessary to support our southern neighbors. These donations are essential to maintaining a stable supply of blood and platelets in impacted regions, which can help save lives and ensure patient needs continue to be met throughout this difficult time.

On Tuesday, Hurricane Ian made landfall along the southwestern coast of Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm. Experts say it is one of the strongest hurricanes to make landfall on the west coast of Florida.

The Rhode Island Blood Center is a member of the New York Blood Center Enterprises family, which has already sent blood to the region. We need more donations in order to be ready to provide further support to those in areas affected by the storm. Blood is perishable and according to AABB, blood collection organizations nationwide on average had only 1-2 days’ blood supply heading into the storm, this includes RIBC. Anticipated disruptions in blood collections and transportation challenges in Florida and the Southeast throughout the next several days are likely to exacerbate already low inventories, particularly in the affected areas. 

“Southern New Englanders are known to rally to help each other. We are now calling on them again in our efforts to help Florida and that region impacted by the storm,” said Caitlin Grimaldi-Flick, Marketing and Communications Manager at Rhode Island Blood Center. “It is critical to ensure a safe blood supply, especially now. It only takes an hour of your time to help our neighbors.” 

To make an appointment, donors can call 401-453-8383 or visit ribc.org/donate. 

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RHODE ISLAND BLOOD CENTER (RIBC) was founded in 1979 as a nonprofit community blood center. For over 40 years, RIBC has been the primary supplier of blood and blood products to patients being cared for in hospitals throughout Rhode Island and in neighboring states. Our mission is to help save lives by ensuring a safe and plentiful blood supply to the patients and hospitals we serve. RIBC is also part of the National Marrow Donor Program and collects stem cells for transplant at its Providence location. RIBC provides therapeutic treatments for patients in local hospitals. Our state-of-the-art laboratory performs donor testing for over 400,000 donations per year. RIBC is also involved in various local and national research programs to improve all aspects of the blood supply. RIBC is a division of New York Blood Center, Inc. (a family of operating Divisions known as New York Blood Center Enterprises). For more information, visit ribc.org.

NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER ENTERPRISES/NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER was founded in 1964, New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe) is one of the largest nonprofit, independent, community blood centers in the world. Along with partner organizations Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), Community Blood Center of Kansas City (CBC), Connecticut Blood Center (CTBC), Memorial Blood Centers (MBC), Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), we collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve communities approaching 50 million people in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT), mid-Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD), Kansas City metropolitan area, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBCe delivers lifesaving blood products and services as well as clinical, medical, pharmaceutical, testing, and consultative services to over 600 hospitals and dozens of research organizations, academic institutions, and biomedical companies. Among other milestones, our Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute pioneered the Hepatitis B vaccine and patented a solvent detergent plasma process, innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.