Kentucky Blood Center on Standby to Help in Hurricane Relief Sept. 13, 2018

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky Blood Center is staying in close touch with fellow blood centers in the Carolinas and with national blood banking organizations in advance of hurricane Florence landfall. In addition, KBC has agreed to act as a staging center to get blood products into affected areas should the need arise.

“We want to be poised to help in any way possible. For this reason, we are encouraging the public to donate now to help build up the local supply.” said Martha Osborne, Vice President of Marketing for Kentucky Blood Center.

Last year, the Blood Center was able to help both Texas and Florida blood centers by sending platelets when local blood collections in those areas were suspended for several days due to heavy rains, flooding, and power outages after hurricanes last year.

Acting as a staging center if the need arises during this emergency would entail blood products being shipped to KBC from other blood centers and then working with couriers to get it to areas in need.

Kentucky Blood Center donor centers are listed below.

To find mobile blood drives and donation information, visit kybloodcenter.org or by call 800.775-2522, ext. 3758.

Blood donors must be 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health. Donors must also show a photo I.D. with first and last name, like a state-issued driver’s license.  Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at kybloodcenter.org. 

Founded nearly 50 years ago, KBC is the largest independent, full-service, non-profit blood center in Kentucky. Licensed by the FDA, KBC’s sole purpose is to collect, process and distribute blood for patients in Kentucky. KBC provides services in 90 Kentucky counties and has donor centers in Lexington, Louisville, Pikeville and Somerset.