Log in

Blood drives coming to West Valley to maintain supplies during COVID-19 outbreak

Banner, Vitalant to host donation days in Sun City, Sun City West

Posted 3/23/20

Banner Health is partnering with the region’s blood bank operator in an effort to restore blood donations, which have significantly dropped during the outbreak of COVID-19 cases, according to a …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Blood drives coming to West Valley to maintain supplies during COVID-19 outbreak

Banner, Vitalant to host donation days in Sun City, Sun City West

Posted

Banner Health is partnering with the region’s blood bank operator in an effort to restore blood donations, which have significantly dropped during the outbreak of COVID-19 cases, according to a Banner news release on March 24, to avoid supplies “from reaching critically low levels.”

Vitalant leaders say blood donations are still safe, and that the staff takes steps to ensure surfaces are thoroughly disinfected between donors and social distancing protocols are followed to minimize the potential for transmission of the new coronavirus.

Upcoming blood donation events include:

  • 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, April 23 at Banner Boswell Medical Center, 10401 W. Thunderbird Blvd., Sun City. Vitalant RV parked near south entrance.
  • 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, April 24 at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, 14502 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West. Vitalant RV parked near south entrance.

Vitalant asks potential donors to make an appointment on its website online at www.vitalant.org or by calling 877-258-4825 (877-25-VITAL) ahead of the event to prevent crowds from forming. To create a safe and secure environment for patients and health care workers during the COVID-19 outbreak, visitors are not allowed in Banner hospitals until further notice.

“Our blood collection sites are a ‘first response’ action to this outbreak versus a gathering that needs to be avoided,” Vitalant’s chief medical and scientific officer Ralph Vassallo stated. “If you’re healthy, you’re needed now more than ever. We cannot let it get to the point where there’s no blood available for trauma patients, those undergoing cancer treatment and patients who need regular, ongoing blood transfusions just to survive.”