LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — For weeks, elective surgeries at Kentucky hospitals have been suspended.
With many of those procedures back on surgeons' schedules beginning this week, there is a need from the public.
Blood in the blood bank. And the Kentucky Blood Center is sounding the alarm.
"Blood has a shelf life and we're getting into the point where we need people to come back out again," said Mandy Brajuha of the Kentucky Blood Center.
The center is asking people to come back out, saying that people who donated blood in March are eligible to donate again after 56 days.
"All those folks that rolled up their sleeves when we needed them the most, it's time to come back again and continue to make this a habit and donate every time they're eligible," said Brajuha.
With colleges, universities and high schools shuttered, so too are the blood drives they normally hold on campus.
"We know those same people are sitting at home and maybe looking for something to do, a way to be healthy and get out," said Brajuha. "And so this is a great way to come out. Roll up your sleeves and help your fellow Kentuckians."
Brajuha also explained she knows giving blood at a time like this can be scary, but said the Blood Center is doing all they can to maintain a sterile environment and are offering the ability to fill out paperwork ahead of time to limit the time inside the center.
"The beds are all distance at least six feet apart, we're cleaning everything in between every donor so you know we're doing everything we can to make sure it's a safe and simple process for a donor," said Brajuha.
