LifeServe in need of blood donations following deadly Iowa Lakes bus crash

Just a few weeks ago, LifeServe's PR and Marketing Director told KCCI that while he hasn't seen as many donations as he'd like, their blood supply was decent.That changed this week.Freezer shelves that would ideally be filled with blood bags are sitting mostly empty in LifeServe's Johnston lab. The supplies labelled O+ or O- are especially low."I would say the freezer is kind of a snapshot of what we're dealing with right now," Paluch said. "This is low. You've got a lot of empty shelves."LifeServe's supply was already teetering on the edge of being sufficient at the end of January, as donations dropped coming out of the holidays due to bad weather and widespread illness.But after sending out dozens of products to dozens of victims of Wednesday's fatal Iowa Lakes bus crash, the need is critical. "We serve over 175 hospitals in four states. And, you know, it's our responsibility to get them the blood to treat patients, and we have to continue to do that. We can only do that with volunteer donors." Paluch said. Without enough donors, there's only so much blood product that can go around before LifeServe has to lean on its neighbors to meet demand. But hospitals might be the ones to feel the pinch at the end of the day."We might have to reach out to some hospitals and say, hey, we're not going to send you as much of your regular numbers this week or today just to make sure that we have to meet that first demand," Paluch explained. Though there is an upside: large-scale traumas can actually encourage donors to come out.The Johnston Donor Center saw several late walk-in's Thursday evening.But more are needed to keep the supply at a sustainable level — especially in the event of another large trauma. "This is for you," Paluch said. "This is for these communities that you live in."Donations of O-, O+, A-, and B- blood are especially critical. More information on who can donate and how can be found here.