GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Healthy individuals are encouraged to donate blood during Gov. Whitmer's stay at home order.
The federal government released guidance about donating blood, reminding individuals that blood drives and donations are exempt from the stay at home order due to the critical nature of blood.
The governor's order states that individuals may leave their homes for healthcare and public health operations. That includes organizations collecting blood, platelets, plasma, and other necessary materials, according to the order.
The Michigan Department of Health and Safety stated that blood drives and donations are necessary to sustain and protect life, which allows blood centers to remain open.
"It is important to know that receiving blood, and with community mitigation steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, donating blood is still a safe and important process for healthy individuals," said Robert Gordon, the Director of the MDHHS.
Whitmer's order also exempts Versiti Blood Center of Michigan from limiting the number of people in a physical space to ten.
The Chief Medical Officer of Versiti Blood Center of Michigan, Thomas Abershire, said the organization supplies blood to nearly 80 hospitals across the state.
"It is critically important to maintain an adequate blood supply so these hospitals can deliver life-saving blood products to trauma patients and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy," Abershire said.
Versiti is also following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Association of Blood Banks in order to further protect donors. These guidelines include:
- Pre-screening staff and donors for COVID-19 symptoms
- Complying with social distancing throughout the donation process
- Donation beds are six feet apart or separated by a partition
- Wiping down surfaces and beds
- Providing only packaged snacks and drinks
While West Michigan is still seeing blood donors, Versiti is trying to space out when people schedule appointments, said Senior Medical Director Dr. Lee Ann Weitekamp.
"We're in this for the long haul, so we need to not have people surge but come in on a regular, steady pace so we have good, fresh blood for the patients to support our community," Weitekamp said.
The best way to donate is to schedule an appointment by calling 1-866-642-5663 or by visiting Versiti's website.
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