Rhode Islanders called to help with blood donations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC) is calling on the community make an appointment to donate blood over the next two weeks to help prevent blood shortages both for the gulf coast regions directly affected by Hurricane Harvey, and for other blood centers across the country responding to the national need.

Beau Tompkins, director of Hospitals Services at RIBC, explains, "We have already responded to Texas blood centers by sending 345 donations to the area -- some in advance of the storm and others requested on Saturday morning, which we sent via air courier for emergency delivery that same day."

Because blood donations take two days of safety testing to process, it is the blood on the shelves from regular blood donors that allows RIBC to respond in times of crisis. Tomkins adds, "Our first priority is to ensure the blood supply in Rhode Island and Southeastern New England, but we also want to continue to be as responsive as possible to the country's needs in the coming weeks, while ensuring that we continue to provide excellent service for the hospitals and patients we serve."

The blood centers in the Gulf Coast region will likely continue to be impacted over the coming weeks in various ways -from not being able to open and run blood collection operations, to donors not being able to get to the locations to give.

"The best thing our community can do right now is to book an appointment to give at one of our six donation centers or at any upcoming blood drive in the next couple of weeks," says Kara LeBlanc, communications manager at RIBC, adding, "If you are a donor, please answer our call for donations, keep your appointments if you're feeling well, and book an appointment. If you have never given before, now is a great time to take action and help someone else."

All blood types are needed, especially type O positive and negative blood types.

If you have questions about whether you can donate, visit ribc.org/giving-101. You can also call the Rhode Island Blood Center medical staff with specific medical questions about your eligibility to donate at 401-4538307. All inquiries are confidential.

Appointments are encouraged as they help the center minimize wait times and schedule the number of donations needed each day. There are three easy ways to book an appointment:

1. Visit ribc.org/life to find a blood and platelet donation center or mobile blood drive.

Our centers are conveniently located in Middletown, Narragansett, Providence, Warwick, Westerly and Woonsocket.

2. Email customerservice@ribc.org to request an appointment. Please provide the best date/time to donate blood.

3. Call or text 401-453-8383. Our scheduling team will help you find a time and location that works best for you.