ECRMC hosts rare summer blood drive
Need is rising with the temperatures
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - High temperatures typically make summer blood drives few and far between. However, need his rising with the thermometer in the Imperial Valley, so El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) is getting creative to get the blood it needs.
Next week it will team up with Lifestream Blood Services for a two-day indoor blood drive. The indoor portion of the equation is critical.
“Typically, blood drives during high temperature months do not happen because sample integrity is crucial”, says Charles Rhoades, Acting Chief of
Ambulatory Services for ECRMC.
“High temperatures make it difficult to maintain a safe environment for
blood donations and is why in order to help, we had to be creative and host a drive indoors." Rhoades tells us.
ECRMC and Lifestream will host the drive inside the Medical Office Building next Tuesday and Wednesday. This will help beat the heat for both donors and their donations.
All potential donors will have their temperatures checked, and they will be screened for coronavirus symptoms at the door. Social distancing will be enforced at all times.
