The Blood Connection responds to regional shortage with early June blood drives

By Judith Brown | June 2, 2021 |

June 2, 2021

Laurens, South Carolina – Starting this Thursday, June 3, the mobile unit for The Blood Connection has scheduled several donor events in Laurens County to try and meet the desperate need for all types of whole blood across the upstate.

Scheduling spots are still available when the bus will be at Walmart in Laurens this week from 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 3.

“In the past few days, hospital partners are reporting they are using blood at a much higher rate than normal,” said TBC marketing and events manager Allie Van Dyke. “When demand is high and the supply is critically low – that is a dangerous equation for the community.”

The shortfall has come as a bit of a surprise to TBC staff and hospital employees, since the low donor turnout is much more extreme now that it was in the height of the pandemic.

“Because of the critically low supply, The Blood Connection (TBC) is now having to back-order blood products and this has affected 12 hospital partners so far,” Van Dyke said. “Surprisingly, the blood supply is in an even more unstable position than it was at the beginning of the pandemic. The local blood supply is critically low after months of historically low blood donor turnout and TBC relies on community blood donors to prevent a blood emergency like a shortage.”

There are spots available for this Thursday’s mobile clinic visit to Walmart, as well as others which are scheduled in the county throughout the month for June.

To learn more about The Blood Connection, to fill out the form ahead of your visit or to host a Blood Drive call 1-800-392-6551 or go to thebloodconnection.org.

The blood drives scheduled for June in Laurens County and the links to register are as follows:

Walmart – Laurens – 06/03/2021

2:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Schedule<https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/173482>

CeramTec Laurens– 06/09/2021

12:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Schedule<https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/173123>

City of Clinton – 06/11/2021,

10:30 am – 2:30 pm Schedule<https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/171984>

ZF Transmissions – 06/17/2021

6:00 am – 4:00 pm, Schedule<https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/160121>

ZF Transmissions – 06/17/2021

7:00 am – 5:00 pm, Schedule<https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/160122>

Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Community – 06/17/2021