384% Increase in Blood for Summer Traumas!

Here is a press release I sent out this morning to the local media about the blood supply situation due to the huge increase in traumas this summer.

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community Urged to “Donate For Life”

384 Percent Increase in Blood for Trauma Patients has Supply at Lowest Level This Year

Salt Lake City, July 1, 2008 — ARUP Blood Services, the sole blood provider for the University of Utah Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Hospital, Primary Children’s Medical Center, and Shriners Hospital for Children, is asking the public to help increase the greatly diminished blood supply by donating blood at its two donor centers or at their major community blood drive at The 23rd Floor Event Center in Salt Lake City on July 9, 2008.

This summer ARUP Blood Services has seen a 384 percent increase in demand for blood to treat trauma patients due to numerous car, motorcycle and other accidents. Trauma patients normally use around 25 units of blood each week at the hospitals ARUP serves, but during the last five weeks the hospitals are using an average of 96 units for trauma patients. Some weekends the hospitals are using more than a week’s worth of blood because of the extra trauma patients, with some patients using more than 100 blood products individually. This is in addition to an increase among cancer, heart, and other patients using blood at the hospitals.

“It’s an ugly time right now,” said ARUP Blood Services Vice-President and Group Manager Karen Nielsen. “Trauma season has already been terrible and we’re not even half way through the summer.”

Nielsen adds that supplies are the lowest for O+, O- and A- levels at the hospitals, but all blood types are below comfortable levels. Walk-in donors to ARUP Blood Services have decreased over the last several weeks due to several factors including price increases in gasoline. ARUP blood drives decrease approximately 30 percent during the summer months because high schools are out of session.

“All of these factors, coupled with decreased blood collections during June and what appears to be a tremendous increase in traumas, is hitting us extremely hard,” said Nielsen. “People are getting hurt, donors are going on vacation, and schools are out. It’s all hurting us and ultimately we don’t have a sufficient supply of blood for the patients at the hospitals we serve.”

In an effort to combat the decrease in blood drives and donors, ARUP Blood Services has partnered with Ken Garff South Towne to give away a two-year lease on a 2008 Mitsubishi vehicle. Each presenting donor to ARUP Blood Services from May 23 to September 12, 2008 will receive an entry for the grand prize car giveaway. Those who donate between June 30 and July 9, 2008 will receive a bonus entry for the car since they are donating around the holiday season.

"This is an opportunity to give back to our community and the people who help keep us in business,” said Ken Garff South Towne General Manager Terry Baird. “Robert and Kathy Garff are dedicated to assisting those who are in need and the ARUP program will benefit many citizens in the state of Utah. We are honored to be a part of this campaign."

In addition to the car giveaway, ARUP Blood Services has also partnered with Maverik to give away $5,000 in gas cards during the summer months. One $50 gas card will be given away each day during June, July, and August. During those months, each presenting donor to ARUP Blood Services will be entered to win a gas card on the day of their donation. During the “Donate for Life” summer blood drive a $50 gas card will be given away to a random donor each hour.

The Homestead Resort in Midway has also donated a free weekend giveaway that will be given to one presenting donor during the July 9th community drive.

Presenting donors will also be entered into the drawing at ARUP Blood Services’ “Donate For Life” community blood drive Wednesday, July 9, 2008. The drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The 23rd Floor Event Center located inside the Wells Fargo Building at 299 South Main Street in Salt Lake City.

Donors are eligible to give whole blood every 56 days and platelet donors can give every two weeks. ARUP Blood Services is also looking for businesses, churches, and other groups to hold blood drives during July and August.

ARUP Blood Services needs 100 donors a day to meet the demand of the hospitals it serves. There are 43 hospitals in the state but just the four ARUP Blood Services supplies, use around 25 percent of the blood transfused in the entire state.

Donors can also come to the University of Utah Research Park center at 500 Chipeta Way (Building 580) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. ARUP has another blood donation location in Murray at 5201 South Green Street, just off of the I-15 freeway and 5300 South exit. Please visit the ARUP Blood Services Web site at www.utahblood.org/where/Where.htm for additional information and directions to both locations.

ARUP Blood Services, a division of ARUP Laboratories which is an enterprise of the University of Utah and the Department of Pathology, is proud to be the sole blood provider to University of Utah Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Hospital, Primary Children's Medical Center, and Shriners Hospital for Children. For more information about ARUP Blood Services, visit us at www.utahblood.org.