PIEDMONT, SC (Sept. 25, 2024) – As many are stocking their shelves with hurricane essentials like water and non-perishables, The Blood Connection (TBC), your community blood center, urges the community to do the same for local hospitals by donating blood or platelets before and after Hurricane Helene to ensure scheduled surgeries and emergency operations can still happen for patients who need care so they can more quickly begin their journey towards healing.

“Without local donors, surgeries may be postponed for the aunt scheduled for a hip replacement, blood may not be readily available for the daily transfusion needs of a sickle cell patient, and all the while patients will enter local hospitals from a car wreck needing a transfusion to have another chance at life,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of the Blood Connection. “The Blood Connection is working diligently to make sure no hospital, ambulance service, or air transport service we support across the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia face any disruption to their surgeries and care for their local communities. We need blood for the everyday needs of our health partners, and it takes brave local donors to keep blood products on the shelves for their community.”

As Helene makes landfall, it will bring high winds and heavy rain that will disrupt The Blood Connection’s collection of blood products as bloodmobiles cannot safely be operated in high winds. TBC continues to monitor Helene’s progression and is adapting to ensure blood collection despite known blood drive cancelations at high schools where students will remain at home due to inclement weather or due to the grounding of bloodmobiles for employee safety, while working hard to ensure hospital operations don’t stop. Local hospitals are stocking up ahead of the expected impacts of Helene, which makes it essential that the blood supply goes uninterrupted.

Those willing to answer the call and donate blood or platelets may do so at one of TBC’s 17 donation centers or one of their 50+ bloodmobiles as it is safe in their community. Find your nearest location to donate at thebloodconnection.org/donate.

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