Imagine a 16-ounce water bottle. Now, imagine 977 of those water bottles, this represents the amount of blood used by JPS Health Network in January alone – a total of 977 units in 31 days.
COVID-19 has had a damaging impact on blood drives. Since the beginning of the pandemic, blood drive coordinators have seen a significant decrease in donations and blood drive success – a daunting situation for a Level I Trauma Center like JPS.
And with the last blood drive eight months ago, the need for blood at JPS is crucial.
“As an organization, we are working on implementing and establishing blood conservation strategies,” says Adrienne Nichols-Johnson, Patient Blood Management Coordinator for JPS. The patient blood management initiative began in 2018 to create awareness around blood product utilization.
From utilizing cell savers in the operating room, a machine that collects and filters blood that is lost during surgery and reinserts the blood into the body, to conservatively ordering units of blood, the patient blood management team is working hard to manage blood for JPS patients.
In addition to the conservation strategies, JPS is working on increasing blood supply for patients. Jodi Primero, Primary Blood Drive Coordinator for JPS Health Network, has partnered with Carter BloodCare to provide an opportunity for the community to help with this goal.
“We know what is needed for our patients, and we want to make sure that we have it,” says Jodi.
JPS has had great success with the current number of donors signed up, but we can always use more. The Carter Blood Drive at JPS will take place on Thursday, March 10 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the corner of St. Louis Avenue on the JPS campus in the Carter BloodCare bus. Donors, please bring a state issued ID; appointments are not necessary. For more information, please visit ww3.greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/130485.