Patient Care at Risk, Versiti Blood Center of Illinois Issues Plea for Donors

CHICAGO, June 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Versiti Blood Center of Illinois has issued an emergency appeal for blood donations due to a dangerously low blood supply. Certain blood types have less than a day’s worth of availability, endangering the lives of local patients. Summer donations have plummeted to critical levels, with over 4,963 appointments missed in the past month alone.

All blood types are needed, with O-positive and O-negative being the most in demand. O-positive is the most common blood type, while O-negative blood is the universal type that can be safely received by all patients in emergencies when the blood type is unknown.

“We know summer is a challenging time for blood donation, and we plan for it every year, but what we see today is dire,” said Dr. Dan Waxman, vice president of transfusion medicine and senior medical director at Versiti. “Patients’ lives are at risk. If you are healthy and able, we are pleading with you to donate blood this week.”

In addition to unfilled appointments and a rise in cancellations and no-shows, Versiti’s partner hospitals have required a significant volume of blood this past month to support organ transplant procedures and other traumas.

“The demand for blood simply does not match the number of donors coming through our doors,” added Waxman. “While we deeply appreciate our loyal donors who consistently show up, it’s important to recognize that about 3 percent of people who are eligible to donate blood actually do. If it’s been a while since your last donation or you’re a first-time donor, we are excited to welcome you.”

What happens if blood is not available for patients?

• When the local blood inventory gets as low as it is now, it jeopardizes the health and safety of patients who rely on life-saving blood transfusions. In some cases, hospitals are forced to postpone surgeries or delay critical treatments.
• Trauma victims from car accidents or shootings are at the highest risk, as their survival often depends on a healthy blood inventory. If these types of cases occur in the coming days, we might not have the blood needed to keep them alive.
• Patients undergoing organ transplants and battling cancer, and even mothers in labor, could face treatment delays or complications due to a limited blood supply.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call (800) 786-4483 or visit versiti.org. Walk-in donors are also welcome.

Donor center locations:

• WESTMONT: 6317 S. Fairview Ave.
• TINLEY PARK: 16100 Centennial Cir.
• BLOOMINGDALE: 398 W. Army Trail Rd.
• NAPERVILLE: 1297 S. Naper Blvd.
• WINFIELD: 27W281 Geneva Rd.
• JOLIET: 2625 W. Jefferson St.
• GENEVA: 2000 W. State St., Unit 1E
• AURORA: 1200 N. Highland Ave.
• ELGIN: 1140 N. McLean Blvd.
• CRYSTAL LAKE: 6296 Northwest Hwy.
• YORKVILLE: 728 E. Veterans Pkwy., Suite 112
• DEKALB: 2428 Sycamore Rd.
• HIGHLAND: 2126 45th St.

Donating blood takes about an hour. Anyone aged 16 or older who is in good health and meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to give. Parental consent is required for donors aged 16 to donate blood. Donors should bring a photo ID that includes their birth date.

About Versiti Blood Center of Illinois
Versiti Blood Center of Illinois is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Aurora, IL. that specializes in blood products and services and provides expert medical and technical support. Founded in 1943, it is the oldest blood center in Illinois and serves patients at more than 85 hospitals in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. It operates 12 donor centers and conducts nearly 2,200 blood drives annually at area hospitals, churches, businesses, schools and community centers. To learn more, visit versiti.org.

SOURCE Versiti Blood Center of Illinois

Some 175 years after the US government stole land from the chief of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation while he was away visiting relatives, Illinois may return it to the tribe. Nothing ever changed the 1829 treaty that Chief Shab-eh-nay signed with the US to preserve for him a reservation in northern Illinois—not subsequent accords nor the 1830 Indian Removal Act, which forced all Indigenous people to move west of the Mississippi. But around 1848, the US sold the land to white settlers while Shab-eh-nay and other members of his tribe were visiting family in Kansas. To right the wrong, Illinois would transfer a 1,500-acre state park west of Chicago, the AP reports.

The state would continue providing maintenance while the tribe says it wants to keep the park as it is. “The average citizen shouldn’t know that title has been transferred to the nation so they can still enjoy everything that’s going on within the park and take advantage of all of that area out there,” said Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick, chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation based in Mayetta, Kansas. It’s not entirely the same soil that the US took from Chief Shab-eh-nay. The boundaries of his original 1,280-acre reservation now encompass hundreds of acres of privately owned land, a golf course, and a county forest preserve. Pending Illinois legislation would transfer the Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area.

No one disputes Shab-eh-nay’s reservation was illegally sold and still belongs to the Potawatomi. But nothing has changed. Democratic state Rep. Will Guzzardi, who sponsored the legislation, said the deal is a significant concession on the part of the Potawatomi. With various private and public concerns now owning most of the original reservation land, reclaiming it for the Potawatomi would set up a serpentine legal wrangle. “Instead, the tribe has offered a compromise, which is to say, ‘We’ll take the entirety of the park and give up our claim to the private land and the county land and the rest of that land,’” Guzzardi said. “That’s a better deal for all parties involved.” The transfer won Illinois Senate approval, but a snag in the House prevented its passage. Proponents will seek the endorsement when the Legislature returns in November.

(More Illinois stories.)