MUSCATINE, Iowa–Though the Muscatine branch of ImpactLife may not look particularly large, it collects a significant amount of blood each month to distribute across the Midwest. Though the number fluctuates, ImpactLife Public Relations Manager Kirby Winn shared the center has a collection goal of about 310 donations per month. Due to the unfortunate combination of cold and occasionally snowy winter weather, seasonal illness, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ImpactLife has seen a drop in donations across its sites which has led to a critical shortage of blood products. This winter, ImactLife urges all eligible blood donors to do so to help end the shortage and ensure both UnityPoint Trinity Muscatine Hospital and others throughout the region can continue to provide blood to patients who need it.

Currently, ImpactLife provides blood products to 125 hospitals in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Each of these hospitals uses donated blood to treat people who have experienced blood loss from childbirth, surgery, or traumatic injury as well as for patients with certain kinds of cancer. Additionally, ImpactLife helps maintain a stock of additional blood products in case of a large-scale emergency such as a natural disaster. “When you consider the scope of our entire service region – 125 hospitals from central Wisconsin down to St. Louis – there is no time of year when patient need at the hospitals we serve is low,” emphasized Winn.

Fortunately, local donors can help end this shortage by scheduling a donation at Muscatine’s ImpactLife blood center at 2604 Second Avenue, Suite Six, next to Muscatine Hy-Vee. By making just a single whole blood donation, one person can help up to three other people get the lifesaving blood products they need.

Because many people get colds, the flu, or COVID-19 in the winter, they may feel concerned about donating. However, ImpactLife has policies in place to make sure that donors, blood center staff, and recipients stay safe. People currently feeling sick or who have just recently recovered from an illness should not donate blood. However, since neither colds, the flu, nor COVID-19 can transmit to people through blood, it is okay for people who have had these illnesses to donate once they have recovered.

When a person comes to the blood center to donate, they will first complete a mini physical to make sure they can safely donate. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, all donors must schedule their donation ahead of time to keep waiting and recovery areas from getting crowded, and both donors and blood center staff must wear masks during the donation process.

If you would like to learn more about blood donation or schedule an appointment, you may contact ImpactLife in Muscatine by calling 800-747-5401, visiting ImpactLife’s website, or using their mobile app.

With the amount of blood available to hospitals alarmingly low, Winn hopes eligible donors will make a donation and help ensure hospitals have what they need to treat critically ill or injured patients. “The blood supply is low here within our region and across the country,” he stressed, “but the use of blood at the hospitals we serve is constant, so we must maintain a strong and stable blood supply to continue meeting patient needs.”