Conroy Encourages Healthy Residents to Donate Blood

VILLA PARK, Ill. – In the face of a nationwide shortage of blood donations, state Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, is urging healthy community members to consider donating blood.

“Giving blood takes only about 15 minutes of your time while one donation can save up to three lives,” said Conroy. “For my neighbors who are healthy and able to, I ask you to please consider making an appointment to give blood. Blood banks are adapting to the new normal and implementing additional safety protocols to keep their staff and donors safe while donating blood.”

The Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers reports blood donations in Illinois have dropped 60% in recent weeks. According to the American Red Cross, about 36,000 units of blood are used in medical procedures throughout the United States each day.

Blood drives coordinated by the Village of Lombard and Versiti Blood Center of Illinois will be hosted at 24 Yorktown Center on Wednesdays during the month of May from 10 am to 4 pm. Appointments should be made in advance at villageoflombard.org/402/Blood-Drives. Information on additional donation sites may be found at donate.illinois.versiti.org or redcrossblood.org.

“Social distancing is one of the most effective methods we can use to flatten the curve, but it can also have some unintended consequences,” said Conroy. “Since blood cannot be stockpiled like other healthcare supplies such as hand sanitizer and paper products, it’s more important than ever that healthy people consider donating their blood to save lives during these unprecedented times.”