photo by: LMH Health

LMH Health, 325 Maine St., is pictured in May 2021.

The Community Blood Center of Kansas City, LMH Health’s blood supplier, announced a blood emergency Monday morning and launched a “Pint for a Pint” campaign in an effort to recruit donors.

In a press release, the Community Blood Center cites the region’s ongoing heatwave, summer travel and a recent spike in COVID-19 cases as the causes of a significant decrease in donations throughout the past several weeks. That’s caused the blood supply to become unstable — the center’s supply currently stands at a two- to three-day level, which is well below the ideal inventory of five to seven days of donations.

The Community Blood Center is partnering with 24 breweries and restaurants located in the region — including Lawrence’s 23rd St. Brewery and Crescent Moon Winery — for the “Pint for a Pint” campaign. As part of the campaign, all blood donors will receive a voucher to redeem a free or discounted pint of beer, cider, wine or soft drink at a local participating brewery or restaurant. The campaign runs through Sept. 10.

Per the release, the number of first-time blood donors has dropped dramatically since March of 2020, and campaigns like “Pint for a Pint” help to raise awareness and amplify the need for new blood donors.

“Summer has always been a challenging time for the blood supply, and we are grateful to all of our partner breweries and restaurants for stepping up to help us during this critical time,” Patsy Shipley, the Community Blood Center’s vice-president of operations, said in the release.

LMH Health will sponsor local blood drives on Wednesday, Sept. 7, and Thursday, Sept. 8. The Sept. 7 drive is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the third floor terrace room at LMH West, 6265 Rock Chalk Drive. The Sept. 8 drive is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in conference rooms A and D South at LMH Health, 325 Main St.

Those interested in donating at either drive are encouraged to book an appointment in advance at savealifenow.org/group; enter the group code “EH48” for the Sept. 7 drive or “TPJS” for the Sept. 8 drive. For additional details, contact Faith Friesen with the LMH Blood Bank at 785-505-6176 or faith.friesen@lmh.org.