Blood Bank to hold three-day drive on Maui

On the heels of one of the worst sustained local and national blood shortages in recent years, the Blood Bank of Hawaii will return to Maui next week for a three-day blood drive, the organization announced.

The blood drive will be held at the Cameron Center from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday.

“Due to both our operational constraints and the impact of the pandemic, we are only able to return to Maui every four months, so our staff is really excited to return,” Todd Lewis, chief operating officer of Blood Bank of Hawaii, said in a news release Tuesday. “Maui donors are some of our most loyal, and we hope that in the spirit of the holidays, we’ll have a record turnout.”

The blood bank hopes to secure 200 appointments per day on Monday and Tuesday and 171 slots on Wednesday. Forty appointments remain to be filled. All blood types are welcome and will be utilized, but there is an ongoing high demand for O-negative and O-positive blood types.

Each donation can save up to three lives because it can be separated into red blood cells, platelets and plasma that can be transfused to different patients, the blood bank said. Healthy donors interested in giving blood on Maui may register at bbh.org or call (808) 848-4770.

An appointment is required, as walk-ins can no longer be accommodated. Drive dates and times are subject to change.

For information about operations during the pandemic, visit bbh.org/COVID-19 or connect via social media @BloodBankHawaii.