As bitter winter weather continues to descend upon Iowa City, the University of Iowa DeGowin Blood Center needs donors willing to brave the cold.
The DeGowin Blood Center, located at 200 Hawkins Drive, is inside the UI Hospital and Clinics and services the main hospital and the Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Kerry DuBay, donor center supervisor at the DeGowin Blood Center, said all blood collected at the center only services the two hospitals.
“I want people to know that donating in the winter makes a huge difference,” DuBay said. “All blood donations given with DeGowin go to patients staying in our hospital.”
During the winter season, the DeGowin Blood Center is always looking to keep its blood supply stable.
Mandy McClenahan, blood drive and recruitment specialist at the center, said the need for donated blood is constant.
“Given the weather and everybody’s crazy schedules, blood is something that we need regularly in order to keep the supply at the hospital stable,” McClenahan said.
McClenahan said the center is often looking for group “O,” the universal blood type, as it is the most helpful when
an individual comes in with their blood type unknown.
McClenahan said these blood donations are used for patients the hospital, including maternal health, helping to counteract hemorrhaging for the mother during birth and trauma.
Alongside whole blood donations, donations filled with red cells, white cells, and platelets, the center also looks to collect only platelets regularly. Platelets, McClenahan said, are the part of your blood that helps with clotting, which makes them extremely essential in trauma cases as well as in cancer patients.
Cancer patients at the hospital use platelet transfusion to aid them during their various treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, McClenahan said.
“For cancer patients in particular, it can be life-changing to get platelets,” McClenahan said. “Most donors are paired with a patient in need and we have a lot of very regular platelet donors.”
Platelets can be donated once a week and up to 24 times a year, but only last up to one week on the shelf. Platelet donors are often quite rare, McClenahan said. Each platelet donor must have the same blood type as the patient for the treatment to work without rejection.
Additionally, platelet donation can only be done at UIHC.
However, whole blood donations can be done off-site, often at a blood drive, McClenahan said.
DeGowin hosts several blood drives in the Iowa City community yearly. Two scheduled blood drives on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 were canceled. There were 42 donors scheduled, many of whom could not make it due to the poor road and weather conditions.
“These blood drives are incredibly important as they are the only
way to help somebody in need of
blood be it for a trauma or other necessity,” McClenahan said.
DuBay said there are many ways to begin the screening process.
“Because we rely on our community of generous donors, we strive to make the process as simple and convenient as possible,” DuBay said.
McClenahan said her first piece of advice would be to come into the hospital and find out if you are eligible to donate.
Additionally, McClenahan encourages individuals to look for community blood drives if coming to the center for a scheduled appointment proves difficult.
For those who are ineligible to donate, McClenahan said offering to host a community blood drive can make all the difference.
“Giving back to your local community right here in Iowa makes all the difference.
Knowing that you are able to help somebody right here is a great feeling,” McClenahan said.
The DeGowin Blood Center is open from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and individuals can schedule their own appointments to
go and donate.
“There is no substitute for blood, there is no replacement,” McClenahan said. “The blood that you donate here stays in the hospital until it leaves in somebody who needs it.”