Summer blood shortage strains Jacksonville Memorial Hospital supplies
Summer travel is cutting donor turnout as Jacksonville Memorial Hospital leans on ImpactLife drives for blood used in surgery, trauma and cancer care.
ImpactLife says the weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day can bring about a 20 percent drop in donation, or 600 to 800 fewer donors each week. Kirby Winn, ImpactLife’s public relations manager, said vacation travel, packed calendars and competing obligations push donation lower just as hospitals still need blood for surgeries, emergencies, chronic illness treatment and everyday care.
ImpactLife needs at least 3,600 donors a week to maintain a 5- to 7-day supply of all blood types, a target that becomes harder to hold when summer schedules crowd out routine donation. The organization serves more than 120 hospitals and emergency services providers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, and it moves tested, processed blood products through distribution hubs in about 24 hours.
Type O blood remains the most urgent need. In August 2023, ImpactLife's type O-negative supply fell to a 1.5-day supply and type O-positive to a 1-day supply. Winn said all blood types are needed, but the shortage is especially important for patients in the NICU, oncology, surgery, obstetrics and trauma care.
Morgan County residents who can donate have a local option at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital. ImpactLife has blood drives there on July 6 and July 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional drives on August 3, August 10, September 8 and September 14, 2026. Appointments can be made through bloodcenter.org. Through Sunday, donors of whole blood or double red cell donations can also receive a $20 gift card or 1,000 bonus points.
ImpactLife was founded in 1974 and is ranked among the nation’s leading 12 blood suppliers.
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