Isotopes, Vitalant host blood drive to ease local shortage

The Albuquerque Isotopes and Vitalant turned the Third Floor Club Lounge at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park into a blood drive site Tuesday, aiming to collect 3,000 donations in one day as summer shortages squeezed the local supply.

The second annual Battle of the Badges drive ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with donors urged to call 505-246-1424 to make an appointment. Participants who used the code JULYGIFT-2026-V could receive a $20 reward gift card, and Vitalant said Battle of the Badges donors could also get a T-shirt while supplies last.

Vitalant said all blood types were needed, with special urgency around type O, which can be critical in emergencies because O-negative can be transfused to patients of any blood type. The shortage was tied to the usual summer dip in donations, and Vitalant said the blood collected in New Mexico stays in the state, where it helps supply hospitals and patients across Albuquerque and surrounding communities.

That local loop matters in Bernalillo County, where the Albuquerque donation center serves the city and nearby areas and where the blood drive was framed as part public health effort, part civic service. Vitalant, which serves about 900 hospitals nationwide, said the need in the region reflected a wider squeeze on supply, not just a one-day gap at the ballpark.

The one-day drive was helpful, but it was not the whole answer. Vitalant said its New Mexico Battle of the Badges drives are part of a broader summer campaign that continues into later July and August, and the group cited a 2024 Fourth of July week donation shortfall of 30 percent, about 7,500 fewer donations than needed that week, along with about 8,000 fewer donations than needed in June. The Isotopes’ promotional calendar also places First Responders Night on July 24, extending the team’s summer connection to local emergency service themes beyond Tuesday’s blood drive.