Northwest Iowa — Thanks to changes in federal rules, more people will soon be eligible to give blood, and more donors are needed as hundreds of blood drives in the region have been canceled because of the pandemic.
Rita Nelson with the Community Blood Bank tells us more.
She says it will take a while to update all of their literature to reflect the new rules. Some of the regulations were put in place years ago due to Mad Cow Disease, but the Food and Drug Administration has lifted restrictions for certain countries. The United Kingdom, Ireland, and France are not on the list.
Nelson tells us about their weekly blood need.
Blood bank officials tell us that their donations are at a 20-year low.
Nelson tells us that they try to make blood last as long as possible by separating it into three different portions — red cells, platelets, and plasma.
The Community Blood Bank bloodmobile was in Rock Rapids this Wednesday. They’ll come back to northwest Iowa on Wednesday, August 12th, when they come to Sheldon. They plan to be at Village Northwest Unlimited in the morning and Sanford Sheldon in the afternoon that day. You can visit cbblifeblood.org for more information or to make an appointment to give blood.
RadioIowa assisted with this story.
