Kelly Ritz understands the importance of donating blood, but she has never been able to until now.
Ritz had her third child in March and hemorrhaged after giving birth. She has Type O-negative blood, meaning she can only receive O-negative blood. She was told she needed a blood transfusion, but the supply from donations was low as COVID-19 was beginning to ramp up.
Luckily, Ritz was able to get the life-saving blood she needed, and it prompted her to research when it would be safe for her to donate after giving birth.
“Because O-negative is a universal donor I felt kind of a burden of responsibility to donate, especially during the pandemic so that the blood type was available,” she said, “Especially for people that were in my situation that can only receive O-negative blood.”
She set up an appointment and found out she was restricted from donating.
Ritz was born in Spain in the 1980s and lived there for six months. This put her on a deferral list because of the presence of “mad cow disease,” or Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease or Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in certain European countries in the 1980s and '90s.
She was disappointed.
That changed this spring when the FDA lifted restrictions to widen the pool of eligible donors because of blood shortages caused by COVID-19. Bloodworks Northwest contacted her and others who had been previously restricted, inviting them to see if they would now be eligible to donate.
She donated for the first time on July 25 at the Bloodworks Northwest center in Silverdale and already has a second appointment set up.
Summer is typically a time where blood donations slow, and COVID-19 has made it all the more difficult for blood banks to gather the supply needed. The Washington State Department of Health as well as blood centers are encouraging those who are able to donate blood.
Traditional blood drives were put on hold in late March, but pop-up donor centers have been set up across the state to continue receiving blood donations throughout the pandemic. The cancellation of blood drives has created a public health risk, according to Bloodworks. It takes 1,000 people donating every day for Bloodworks to ensure it has a stable supply of blood for those who need it. People with O-negative blood, which can be donated to people all blood types, are especially encouraged to donate. In June, local hospitals needed more than 120 more units of Type O-negative beyond was donated, according to Bloodworks.
Pop-up centers have lured donors to temporary venues like T-Mobile Park in Seattle, churches, businesses and community centers. But that hasn't eased the crunch, say officials with blood donation centers, and they warn that inventories of the most-needed blood types are approaching emergency levels.
“...meaning a severe blood shortage is ahead of us without community action,” said Curt Bailey, Bloodworks Northwest President and CEO, in a press release.
Hoping to help the situation, the Food and Drug Administration has lifted certain restrictions on those who can donate to enlarge the pool of eligible donors. Studies and data have shown that certain donor eligibility criteria can be changed without compromising safety, according to a press release from the FDA.
In mid-July, the FDA began allowing donations from military personnel and their families who lived overseas in certain European countries in the 1980s and 90s.
Meg Hall, regional recruitment manager at Bloodworks NW, said this criteria affected many would-be donors in Kitsap County, because of the large military presence. Historically, this rule has excluded a number of both active-duty and retired military from donating, she said.
On Wednesday and Friday this week, a pop-up donation center will be set up at the Bangor Chapel on Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor.
“The military is an important partner in Kitsap County in making sure the blood supply for local hospitals, both civilian and military, remains at a safe level,” Hall said.
Loosening other restrictions
The FDA announced other changes in donation criteria this year, including reducing the time male donors are restricted from giving blood because they've had sex with another man.
The recommended deferral period for a man who has had sex with another man has changed from 12 months to three months. For female donors who would have been deferred for having sex with a man who had sex with another man, the recommended deferral period also went from 12 months to three months.
Restrictions on gay and bisexual male donors arose in the 1980s during the onset of the AIDS epidemic. For years, there was a lifetime ban on men who had had sex with other men. In 2015 the FDA changed the criteria, but donations still could not be received from men who had had sex with another man in the last 12 months.
However, some LGBTQ advocates say these measures don’t go far enough. In April, advocates and doctors wrote a letter to the FDA, asking to further relax restrictions.
GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, says a broad ban against gay and bisexual male blood donation doesn’t take into account the actual behavior of an individual that could pose problems for donating blood. GLAAD points to other countries that do not have a ban on donations from a man who has had sex with another man. The organization says blanket bans limit the pool of donors while also stigmatizing those donors. GLAAD also says policies should focus on targeted screening for specific high-risk behaviors, regardless of sexual orientation. Men in monogamous relationships, those on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, and those who consistently use condoms have a particularly low risk of HIV acquisition, according to GLAAD.
The changes also affect the deferral period for those with recent tattoos or piercings, from 12 months to three months. The deferral period for those who have traveled to areas with a high risk of malaria has changed from 12 months to three months as well.
“These recommendations are expected to remain in place after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, with any appropriate changes based on comments we receive and our experience implementing the guidances,” according to the FDA.
Falling blood supplies
Blood centers across the country have reported inventories falling to low levels as hospitals resume elective surgeries. Blood donation is needed for procedures that help heart patients, burn victims and cancer patients, to name a few. The American Red Cross estimates that every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood.
Type O-positive blood supply has dropped by over 40% since the beginning of June, leaving less than a 48-hour supply, according to Hall. Type A-positive supply has dropped by over 22% during that timeframe, and Type O-negative (the universal donor) supply has dropped by over 20%. Type A-negative supply has dropped by over 32% since the beginning of June, and Type B-negative supply has dropped by over 41%.
Donations in Kitsap County go to local hospitals: St. Michael and Naval Hospital Bremerton.
“Every hospital and clinic on the Kitsap peninsula has blood only through volunteer donors,” Hall said.
Blood is also perishable. Blood components can last from five to 42 days, so every day, staff must manage the inventory and predict what will be needed, Hall said.
“Donating blood is not something we can stop,” she said. “While there are enough things we’ve been asked to not do, this is one thing people are asked to continue to do.”
Social distancing while donating
Kim Peterson recently started donating blood again. She began in 1991 donating as often as she could after seeing how blood helped her husband.
“He had a really rough surgery when they were doing a kidney transplant and he was in the ICU,” she said, “and I walked into the ICU unit over at Swedish Hospital and there was a bag of blood hanging there, and that's what kept my husband alive.”
She was astounded that someone took the time out of their life to help someone they didn’t even know.
“Donating was kind of my way of saying ‘thank you’ to whoever took the time to help save him,” Peterson said.
She started donating again recently after taking a break for a while and thinks it’s all the more important to do during the pandemic while donations are low.
“It doesn't cost you anything but a little bit of time,” Peterson said.
Donation drives are set up to follow appropriate social distancing and must be made through an appointment.
Ritz said during her donation, everything was cleaned scrupulously, and staggered appointments mean only a few people are there at once.
“If you're thinking about doing something outside your home for the pandemic, you can't get much safer than donating blood,” Ritz said.
In addition to the drive at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, a pop-up donor center is planned Aug. 10 and 12 at Bethany Lutheran Church, 7968 Finch Road NE, Bainbridge Island.
The Silverdale Rotary is also holding a “virtual drive” to educate and encourage people to donate at the Silverdale center or a pop-up donation center now through Aug. 15.
Bloodworks has posted information addressing questions and concerns for blood donors at bloodworksnw.org/coronavirus. Blood donation takes about an hour from registration to post-donation refreshment. Information about who can donate, where to donate, and appointments can be made at BloodworksNW.org or 800-398-7888.
"need" - Google News
August 04, 2020 at 05:09AM
https://ift.tt/39V69Y4
Need for blood beckons: Donor criteria eased amid blood supply shortages - Kitsap Sun
"need" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3c23wne
https://ift.tt/2YsHiXz
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Need for blood beckons: Donor criteria eased amid blood supply shortages - Kitsap Sun"
Post a Comment