Severe Blood Shortage: Urgent Community Appeal for Donations
A severe blood shortage is impacting the community, and Coffee Memorial Blood Center needs your help. Recent illness outbreaks have removed the ill and their caregivers from the donor pool. Preemptive school closures and corporate and institutional drive cancellations are piling up due to impending severe weather. Work from home precautions have removed donors from their routine habits of giving blood. The net result is thousands of lost blood donation appointments. As a result, CMBC’s ability to maintain a stable blood supply is critically strained. With a storm approaching, we are suffering disruptions at a time when the blood safety net is already weakened. Immediate community support is essential to support vital medical care.
Compounding this challenge, blood centers nationwide are struggling. Typically, in times of emergency, other blood centers could be relied on to help each other with the blood supply. However, with widespread illness and technical disruptions affecting one of the largest blood centers in the U.S., many other centers had to divert their reserve, sharable supplies to assist, leaving the national blood inventory severely drained. Without this safety buffer, we must rely on our local community to ensure patients receive the lifesaving blood they desperately need on an every-day-without-fail basis, not just achieving collections success measured by week-to-week or monthly averages.
“The situation is dire,” said Dr. John Armitage, president and CEO of Coffee Memorial Blood Center. “It’s like discovering your pantry is empty just when you need to prepare a meal—except the stores are closed, and the shelves are bare. We must act now to replenish the supply before things become a lot worse than a missed lunch or dinner.”
The urgency is further intensified by one of the most severe flu seasons in 15 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “one indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Two weeks ago, that number was clearly higher than the peak of any winter flu season since 2009-2010, when a swine flu epidemic hit the nation.” This widespread illness has directly impacted donor turnout for many weeks now, making blood donations more critical than ever.
Blood donations are essential for cancer patients, trauma victims, burn survivors, mothers giving birth and others facing life-threatening conditions. Right now, demand is high while donations are declining, leaving hospitals with dangerously low supplies. Every donation can mean the difference between life and death.
We urge all eligible donors to make an appointment today. Your donation is a direct lifeline for those in need. Visit www.obi.org/appeal to schedule your lifesaving donation now.
Anyone who is healthy and 16 years old* or older can give blood. Donation typically takes only about an hour, and one donation saves up to three lives. Appointments to donate can be made online at obi.org or by calling 877-340-8777. Walk-ins are also welcome.
*16-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds and provide signed parental permission; 17-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds; 18+ year olds must weigh at least 110 pounds. Photo ID required.
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Coffee Memorial Blood Center is part of Our Blood Institute, the sixth-largest independent blood center in the nation, with 17 donor centers in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. CMBC provides blood to all major hospitals in the High Plains region.
Sincerely,
Brad Duggan
Executive Director, Coffee Memorial Blood Center
AMoA exhibit shows
‘Layered Lives’ of
contemporary Cuban
women artists
The Amarillo Museum
of Art, located at 2200 S.
Van Buren, is hosting the
exhibit “Layered Lives:
The Art of Nine Contem-
porary Cuban Women
from the Discoveries in
Art – Certilman Family
Collection” now through
March 23. A reception is
scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 21with cocktails and
hots d’oeuvres; admis-
sion is free for members
or $10 at the door.
This exhibition aims to
shed light on Cuban
women artists’ signifi-
cant contributions to the
cultural fabric of their
country and beyond.
The Amarillo Museum
of Art is located on the
Washington Street cam-
pus of Amarillo College,
and hours are Wednes-
day through Saturday, 11
a.m. -5 p.m. and Sunday,
1-5p.m. For additional in-
formation, visit www.a-
moa.org, email amoa@
actx.edu, or call (806)
371-5050 or (806) 371-
5392 (weekends).
Amarillo Tattoo Expo: Tattoo artists from around the country converge for this Ink Masters-sponsored show at Ashmore Inn & Suites. (1 to 11 p.m. Thursday; continues through Sunday; 2315 E. Interstate 40; ticket prices vary; inkmasterstattooshow.com
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Ribbon Cutting: Menspro Amarillo
1:00 p.m.
1900 S Coulter, Suite H
New Member to the Chamber
More Information: Tana, (806) 696-3555
The Solano Project: The Amarillo rock band offers midweek fun every Wednesday at Smokey Joe’s. (6 p.m. Wednesday; 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698)
We are looking for some door prizes and sponsorship opportunities that I think some of the folks in the Eblast newsletter might be interested in. We’d also love to recruit some players, go drop off a marketing poster for the Poker event if folks might let us hang in their business or break rooms at work… network.
This is going to be a really fun event.
Local businesses and folks can get in on it for as little as $100 and even more bang for their marketing buck for a $350 dealer sponsorship… I’d love to talk to folks about how they can work with us and Homeless Heroes in transforming the Astro into Hatch Homes for Heroes which you know is going to be a services supported Veteran community for previously homeless Veterans and just a beautiful and amazing project.
As always, I adore you and hope you are well.
Always.
Christopher L. Israel
Christopher Israel
United States Navy Submarine Veteran
Executive Director
Homeless Heroes – Hatch Homes for Heroes
4111 S Georgia St. Suite 108
Amarillo, TX 79110
806-340-3510 – chrisisraelhomelessheroesama@gmail.com
Alicia Morgan: The Lubbock country singer heads underground at the Barfield’s Paramount Recreation Club speakeasy. (7 p.m. Wednesday; 600 S. Polk St.; 806-414-2200)
Tom Buechi: The one-man band offers hump-day tunes at Pondaseta Brewing Co. (7 p.m. Wednesday; 7500 S.W. 45th Ave.; 806-418-6282)