By Tabitha Evans Moore
Editor & Publisher

LYNCHBURG, Tenn.  — Blood Assurance, the nonprofit blood bank that supplies the majority of hospitals serving Moore County, is asking area residents to donate as its regional inventory drops to a critical level heading into what blood banks call the “100 deadliest days of summer.”

The organization’s Cookeville team supervisor, Ashley Barlow, said in late July that Blood Assurance was down to a supply of just a few days for several major blood types, including O-positive, O-negative, A-negative and B-negative — the types most commonly needed in trauma care.

“We’ve got a couple days of A-negative and B-negative, that’s why it’s so important that we get donors in,” Barlow said, adding that summer is traditionally the hardest stretch of the year for donations because school is out and regular routines change.

Blood Assurance is a separate organization from the American Red Cross, which on July 27 declared just its second national blood supply crisis, saying donations had fallen to a four-year summer low and that its national supply of type O-positive blood — the type most often used in emergencies — had dropped below a one-day supply. The Red Cross supplies roughly 40 percent of the nation’s blood but is not the primary supplier for most Middle Tennessee hospitals; Blood Assurance holds that role locally.

Locally, Blood Assurance hosts the majority of blood drives held in and around Moore County, with recurring collection stops in Lynchburg and Winchester. The organization says it needs more than 540 volunteer donors every day across its five-state service area, which covers Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and North Carolina.

A single blood donation can be separated into components used for up to three patients, and donors are generally eligible to give whole blood every 56 days. Blood Assurance is offering a $25 e-gift card to eligible donors who complete a donation through August.

WAYS TO GIVE BLOOD

Blood Assurance maintains offices at 604 North Jackson Street in Tullahoma. Donations happen 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday as well as Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

There are also several blood drives happening in Southern Middle Tennessee in the coming weeks. The DW Wilson Center in Tullahoma will host a drive on Saturday (August 8) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walmart in Fayetteville will host a drive next Tuesday (August 11) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Winchester Food City will host a drive that same day from 3:30 to 6 p.m. On August 13, the Coffee County Lannom Library will host a blood drive from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. For additional opportunities, visit the Blood Assurance website by clicking here. •

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