New blood bank center opens in Dagsboro

By Glenn Rolfe
Posted 6/16/21

DAGSBORO – Thomas Glenn doesn’t wear a five-gallon hat. But the Dagsboro resident and member of the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department is a five-gallon donor of the gift of life – …

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New blood bank center opens in Dagsboro

Posted

DAGSBORO – Thomas Glenn doesn’t wear a five-gallon hat. But the Dagsboro resident and member of the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department is a five-gallon donor of the gift of life – blood.

“I believe in serving and helping the community, and giving blood is just another way of helping, and you’re saving lives. I try to donate like three or four times a year,” said Mr. Glenn.

The impact of COVID-19 on blood supplies, the current shortage, personal life-saving testimonials and the role the Blood Bank of Delmarva’s new Dagsboro Donor Center might play took center stage Tuesday at its grand opening celebration.

“After many successful mobile drives in the region, we saw the need to provide the community with a permanent donor center, and we chose Dagsboro,” said Patty Killeen, Blood Bank of Delmarva senior executive director.

At 32445 Royal Boulevard in Clayton Crossing, the Dagsboro center is open Tuesday through Saturday, with varying hours. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome.

“Every week we need over 1,800 blood and platelet donors to roll up their sleeves so we can meet our hospital demand and patient need,” said Ms. Killeen. “This (Dagsboro) center alone has over 65 appointments available every day to help meet that need.”

Blood emergency

Last week, a national blood emergency was declared.

“The long-term impact of the pandemic has resulted in a year of virtually no first-time donors as schools and colleges canceled blood drives,” said Ms. Killeen. “We had 235 fewer blood drives booked this year. Five thousand Delmarva residents have yet to return to donate since before the pandemic.”

Delmarva’s health care system requires 350 to 380 donations each day to treat patients, ranging from trauma victims to newborn babies to cancer patients, according to the BBD.

Prior to the pandemic, donors could stop by community blood drives but nearly all high schools, colleges, offices and other community groups have had to cancel blood drives due to COVID-19, with a few exceptions such as Sussex Tech High School.

“Right now, we try to have seven days’ worth of product on our shelf. If we have seven days, we feel comfortable. So we are constantly replenishing,” Ms. Killeen said. “Today, we had 2.3 days’ supply, and that is up from last week where we were down to one day. So, our donors are responding to the emergency appeal. We can’t thank them enough. It is a nationwide situation.”

The issue of donor shortage during the height of the pandemic is now compounded as hospitals are scheduling surgical procedures put on hold during COVID-19.

“The things that happened during the pandemic really were the things that required more blood. Emergency surgeries or when a woman has a baby and has hemorrhaged, those things continued despite the pandemic,” said Beebe Healthcare President/CEO Dr. David Tam.

“Really what happened was when the pandemic hit, there was a reduction in donations. But the procedures that really needed the most amount of blood, they still proceeded. As a result, we were in really a deficit in terms of the amount of blood we had here on Delmarva. Now that we are able to get the pandemic done, we need to really move forward and getting as much blood to once again bank the amount of blood that we have on Delmarva for patients.”

Robin Burns, TidalHealth senior laboratory director, shared her health care system’s status.

“Ever since the pandemic started, we have been low on our blood supply,” Ms. Burns said. “Several times recently the supply dropped below what we consider our ‘critical’ level at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional. The last time this happened was on the Friday after Memorial Day. BBD had not been able to send us any units of O blood on that Thursday or that Friday. We had low supply with all blood types, but the situation with type O was critical. We delayed giving blood to any patient unless the need was dire.”

New location

The Blood Bank’s Dagsboro location will enhance the chances of getting blood when it is needed.

“This center solidifies BBD’s presence here in Sussex County, and it’s going to be really critical to be closer to us,” said Ms. Burns. “Because up until this point in time when we needed a delivery of blood, we had to wait for it to come all the way down from Christiana (Hospital).”

The Blood Bank of Delmarva provides blood and blood products to 19 hospitals on the Delmarva Peninsula, including Beebe and TidalHealth, and supports national blood supplies and its neighbors in other states when called upon, Ms. Killeen said.

“The one common denominator is having the blood and having it on hand,” said Dr. Tam. “It doesn’t help us if the blood is up in Wilmington and we have to ship it down here. It helps us to have the blood right here. It is a partnership and we are very grateful to have you here. We look forward to a really successful partnership as we move forward.”

According to Ms. Killeen, approximately 38% of the population is eligible to give blood, however, only about 3% do.

“Giving blood only takes an hour of your time. And you can give every 56 days,” Ms. Killeen said. “That is up to 18 lives each donor could save every year. Giving blood is a powerful way to give back to Delmarva and all of the people that live here.”

A Lifesaver

Mr. Glenn has joined the Blood Bank’s Lifesaver program and like a member of the fire service, is on call during an emergency.

“I became a Lifesaver. They would call me when there is a need for blood, and I would donate. Mostly, I have used some of the mobile sites,” said Mr. Glenn. “I can walk here. It makes it easier for a lot of people.”

Robbie Murray shared the perspective as a paramedic and Sussex County Emergency Medical Services director.

“This significance of saving a life cannot be diminished, to give a person a second chance to experience life’s most precious moments – moments that they otherwise would not have been able to attend; weddings, graduations, the birth of a child or grandchild,” said Mr. Murray.

“Likewise, I want each of you to know that you do not have to be a first responder or health care professional to make a difference. In fact, if you have ever donated blood … today there is someone and likely more than one person who is alive, enjoying time with their children … living life because of your generous gift,” Mr. Murray added. “We can only do so much as paramedics. I have seen local hospitals work miracles in their emergency room, but sometimes even that is not enough. Sometimes, more is needed, and often times that more is blood or blood products.”

Testimonials

Lifesaving testimonials were offered by 25-year-old Ryan Pappas, who received several hundred transfusions while undergoing treatment for leukemia last summer, and Shane Simmons and Jason Painter, whose 2 ½ year-old Maverick Painter was born premature at 25 weeks and spent 105 days in A.I. duPont Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“Maverick was one of triplets – we lost two,” said Ms. Simmons. “At 2 weeks old when Maverick weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces. He underwent an intestinal surgery … and had many units of blood. Maverick is also AB - which I don’t know if everybody knows – it is the rarest. When we were told that, we were a little scared because we know that AB negative is hard to get. He needed AB negative specific platelets which makes it 10 times harder.”

“Thankfully, Maverick is now a healthy and thriving almost 3-year-old. If it weren’t for selfless donors, we wouldn’t have our son,” Ms. Simmons said. “So, something that could be so small to someone made all the difference in our life and allowed us to bring our son home.”

Mr. Pappas thought his health downturn and profuse gum bleeding might be COVID-related. It was not. Informed he basically had no blood product in his body, he received the first round of transfusions during the helicopter trip from Beebe to Christiana.

Last year from Aug. 5 to Sept. 28, he was transfusion dependent. Overall, he received more than 300 transfusions. An experimental half-match bone marrow procedure with his brother at Johns Hopkins was a success.

“I am one of 22 people in the world now thanks to Johns Hopkins that are here, able to talk because of my brother being a half match and them doing the transplant anyways,” said Mr. Pappas.

BBD’s five donor centers are:

• Dagsboro Donor Center, 32445 Royal Boulevard, Dagsboro.

• Dover Donor Center, 221 Saulsbury Road, Dover.

• Salisbury Donor Center, 1309 Mt. Hermon Road, Salisbury.

• Christiana Donor Center, 100 Hygeia Drive, Newark.

• Concord Donor Center, ChristianaCare’s Concord Health Center, 161 Wilmington-West Chester Pike, Suite 2300, Chadds Ford, Pa.

For more information, visit here.

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