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Blood donations dip due to inclement weather

Vitalant Colorado says winter storms have forced it to cancel blood drives -- and it's asking the public for help.

KUSA - Vitalant-Colorado is asking residents to donate blood in the coming days as supplies across the country dip -- something the organization blames on recent winter storms.

Blood donations in late December and early January were down 47 percent compared to the first two week of December, according to the Scottsdale, Arizona-based community blood service provider.

On Tuesday, Vitalant said in a release that this week's snowfall prevented people from traveling to centers to give blood. 

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The storm, which brought blizzard-force winds to the state's eastern plains, also caused the organization to cancel four blood drives that were projected to bring in 111 donations, about 20 percent of the daily amount Vitalant needs to collect in the region.

Vitalant said it needs to collect 3,000 donations of all blood types each week to replenish supplies and meet the needs of area patients.

“We typically see a drop in donations around this time of year because people are not only recovering from the holidays, many are also suffering from the flu and other illnesses,” said Senior Director of Donor Recruitment Charlie Propernick. “Add bad weather to the mix and it makes it extremely difficult to maintain an adequate blood supply for patients who need it.”

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Vitalant also said the need for platelets  -- which have a 5-day shelf-life -- and type O blood donations has reached the critical level.

"In emergency situations, when a patient’s blood type isn’t known, doctors reach for type O blood first until the patient can be stabilized," the release says.

Vitalant supplies nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care centers in 40 states. 

Click/tap here to schedule an appointment. People interested in donating can also call 303-363-2300, and centers also accept walk-in donors.

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