Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

3 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

4 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

4 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

4 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

4 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

4 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

4 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

4 days ago
Central CA Blood Center Supply at 30%. Hospital Workers Donate to Fill Void.
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 4 years ago on
April 21, 2021

Share

Last Thursday night, Dr. James Davis, chief of surgery at UCSF Fresno, was on-call for Community Regional Medical Center. During his shift, there were five gunshot victims, blunt trauma victims, and motorcycle accident victims. “We used a lot of blood,” said Davis.

Davis says he was in constant text contact with the Central California Blood Center throughout the night to get updates on how much blood it had.

“I see my residents out there. I see my faculty out there. I see the nurses out there. So we’re all in.” — Dr. James Davis, chief of surgery at UCSF Fresno

The next words out of Davis’ mouth described the blood supply: “It is terrible, it’s horrible, awful, very bad.”

GVWire caught up with Central California Blood Center Coordinator Katherine Morrison on Tuesday as she was pulling up to Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia for a mobile blood drive for hospital employees. The situation has gotten so bad, hospital staffers are rolling up their sleeves to keep the supply up.

“As of this morning, our inventory was 30% of normal,” said Morrison. She says that low mark directly impacts hospitals. “Well, yeah, because they get their blood directly from us.”

Morrison says she would normally coordinate mobile blood drives at hospital locations every eight to 10 weeks. “But because of the shortage, we’re there once a week (now),” she said.

Pandemic Impact

“I do have a friend that is currently going through treatment for cancer, and he’s only gotten to get about half of (the blood) he’s needed.” — Central California Blood Center Coordinator Katherine Morrison

People staying at home during the pandemic appears to be playing a large role in the dwindling supply.

“(People) didn’t go out and donate,” explains Morrison. “But births don’t stop, cancer treatments don’t stop, heart surgeries don’t stop. Those kinds of things don’t stop even during a pandemic.”

While Morrison has not heard of hospitals having to delay surgeries, she’s heard anecdotally from one of her friends that there are negative impacts because of the blood shortage.

“I do have a friend that is currently going through treatment for cancer, and he’s only gotten to get about half of (the blood) he’s needed,” said Morrison.

Hospital Blood Drives

As to why Morrison is taking her mobile blood drives directly to hospitals, she says it’s a result of what the workers are seeing themselves.

“They work there and they do administer blood and blood products, they do know that there’s a shortage and so they’re really trying to support the hospital,” Morrison said.

Davis says he’s seen many of his colleagues, and that includes himself, donating blood outside the hospital.

“I’ve donated within the last couple of weeks, which means I can’t donate for about six more weeks,” says Davis. “I see my residents out there. I see my faculty out there. I see the nurses out there. So we’re all in. We have — it’s not flesh in the game — we have blood in the game.”

Davis wants the community to step up and donate blood right now.

“Roll up your sleeve and donate blood and help be part of the solution,” said Davis. “The life you may help save, may be a friend, may be a neighbor, or it may be somebody in your own family.”

Community Medical Centers Statement

“Community Medical Centers’ blood banks are currently at 80% of our target inventory for blood products,” says Community Regional Medical Center Clinical Laboratory Director Hap Morrisey. “However, over the past several months, we have experienced periods of time where we were below this level. Please consider donating blood through the Central California Blood Bank to support your local hospitals, where blood is in need daily for routine care of Valley patients.”

St. Agnes Medical Center Statement

“The weekend of April 8, our O+ and O- blood supply was extremely low – with less than 5 units available for patient use,” said St. Agnes Medical Center Registered Nurse Deanette Sisson. “We are monitoring levels daily to help us make strategic decisions for patient safety and care. With the current community response and the response of our own colleagues to an emergency blood drive, we are presently averaging at least 30 units of type O blood in our Saint Agnes blood bank.”

Adventist Health in the Central Valley Statement

“Adventist Health in the Central Valley (Hanford, Tulare, Selma, Reedley) is not experiencing any delays due to blood shortages,” says Adventist Health in the Central Valley Communications Manager Amanda Jaurigui. “Adventist Health in the Central Valley teams up with the Central California Blood Center about 16 times a year to host blood drives at our hospitals. All the slots were filled for the most recent blood drive at our Hanford hospital this past Friday.”

Madera Community Hospital Statement

“Madera Community and Valley Children’s are not experiencing any delays in surgeries due to blood supply,” said Madera County Public Health Director Sara Bosse.

[activecampaign form=25]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Netanyahu Nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

DON'T MISS

Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

Trump Executive Order Seeks End to Wind and Solar Energy Subsidies

DON'T MISS

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

DON'T MISS

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

DON'T MISS

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

DON'T MISS

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

DON'T MISS

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

DON'T MISS

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

UP NEXT

Trump Executive Order Seeks End to Wind and Solar Energy Subsidies

UP NEXT

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

UP NEXT

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

UP NEXT

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

UP NEXT

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

UP NEXT

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

UP NEXT

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows

UP NEXT

July 4 Weekend Was No Picnic for Fresno-Area Firefighters. How Bad Did It Get?

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

2 hours ago

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

2 hours ago

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

2 hours ago

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

2 hours ago

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

3 hours ago

Madera County Multi-Agency Effort Leads to Arrest of Felony Suspect in Atwater

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest DUI Driver During Crackdown on Illegal Street Racing and Sideshows

3 hours ago

July 4 Weekend Was No Picnic for Fresno-Area Firefighters. How Bad Did It Get?

4 hours ago

Tulare County Seizes 300 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks Over Fourth of July

4 hours ago

US Proposes Rules That Could Boost Oil, Gas Output in US West

5 hours ago

Netanyahu Nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told President Donald Trump he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace ...

58 minutes ago

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on during a bilateral dinner with U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured), at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 7, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
58 minutes ago

Netanyahu Nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 7, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
1 hour ago

Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

A wind farm is shown in Movave, California, U.S., November 8, 2019. (Reuter File)
2 hours ago

Trump Executive Order Seeks End to Wind and Solar Energy Subsidies

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies before a Senate Appropriations hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request for the Department of Education, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Threatens California With Legal Action Over Transgender Sports Law

United States Department of Veterans Affairs logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Veterans Affairs Will Cut Nearly 30,000 Jobs, Far Fewer Than Planned

A group of search and rescue workers paddle a boat in the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 7, 2025. (Reuters/Sergio Flores)
2 hours ago

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

2 hours ago

Tucker Carlson Aired Interview With President of Iran

Attendees visit the 23andMe booth at the RootsTech annual genealogical event in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., February 28, 2019. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

California Fails to Stop 23andMe Founder From Re-Acquiring Company

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend