Blood Center seek donors at new site

The Community Blood Center moved to a new location at 1410 Kasold Drive, but even with a new building and improved location, blood supplies still wane.

Joey Eck, donor recruitment representative, said she hoped the center’s centralized location in the Orchard Corners shopping center would bring in more first-time donors because of its more visible location. The old building was at Sixth Street and Kasold Drive. The new building also means more cost-effectiveness for the center.

“The old building was too big,” Eck said. “We rent our buildings, and it was inefficient for us to pay higher rent at the old location for extra space we didn’t use. We are saving a substantial amount. The old building was three times as big as our new one.”

The Community Blood Center also launched a media campaign with 10 radio stations in Kansas, which encouraged both first-time and repeat donors to donate. Eck said the center promoted National Blood Donor month, which was in January, by offering T-shirts to donors.

The center provides blood for Lawrence Memorial Hospital and 77 other hospitals within a 60-county region in Kansas and Missouri.

“I don’t think people realize the constant need for blood,” Eck said. “Blood only keeps for 42 days.”

Eck said the center hadn’t recovered from the holidays when donations dropped.

“People are busier and have less time to donate blood,” she said. “The demand for blood is greater around the holidays and the number of accidents increase. We need all types of blood right now and we always need O-positive and O-negative blood.”