Wyatt Miller, Flight Nurse at OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group, was one of over 40 individuals donating at the hospital’s blood drive Tuesday. The blood drive, located in the Guardian Flight hangar at OSF, was one of many blood drives being hosted by the Community Blood Center on a daily basis. (Escanaba Daily Press photo)

ESCANABA — OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group hosted a blood drive at the Guardian Flight hangar, located at 3401 Ludington St., Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to replenish the hospital’s blood supply. The Community Blood Center (CBC), a nonprofit organization, operated the blood drive. CBC is the lone provider of blood, plasma, and platelets to OSF St. Francis Hospital.

“[The Community Blood Center] hosts blood drives every day, typically Sunday through Saturday,” Addie Schilling, member of the Community Blood Center team, said. “There is always a need for blood because the dynamic between supply and demand is always one-sided.”

CBC, based out of Appleton, Wis., hosts blood drives throughout the Midwest to provide over 30 hospitals throughout the region with a reliable blood supply. In the past three decades, no hospital that coordinates with CBC has had to cancel an operation due to a lack of blood. The success of CBC’s operations, however, relies on the willingness of everyday people to donate. Thankfully, the organization collects over 50,000 donations a year.

While all blood types are critically needed, those with O negative blood are often sought out when it comes to blood drives. Considered the “universal donor,” O negative blood is a valuable resource for emergency services and personnel to have in stock.

“Typically we like to aim for the O negative blood, because it is used in a lot of emergencies situations,” Schilling said. “Rh negatives are also important because it can go to both positive and negative Rh’s. But otherwise, all types of blood are always in demand.”

The number of people donating at a CBC event varies by location. The events hosted by OSF St. Francis Hospital typically garner 40-plus people, with a combination of scheduled appointments and walk-ins. The donation process takes around an hour, with a preliminary questionnaire and screening process before donors get the poke. Once the donation is complete, individuals are required to relax with a snack and juice box before moving on with their day.

“People can donate outside of these drives, but there are different regulations regarding how often you can donate,” Schilling said. “It it important to know the specific days that you donated in the past before coming to a drive.”

Those looking to donate in future blood drives, both at OSF St. Francis Hospital and other locations in the Upper Peninsula, can find more information by calling 800-280-4102 or visiting CBC’s website at communityblood.org. Appointments can be made for upcoming blood drives as the day of donation nears, although walk-ins are always welcome.

“One of my favorite sayings that I learned when I started working here is that only 10% of the population donates, but 100% expect blood to be there when they need it,” Schilling said. “That kind of shows you a really big dynamic of how little of the population that is eligible to donate actually does.”