The Blood Bank of Hawaii was activated early Thursday morning by the national Blood Emergency Readiness Corps to support patients affected by Hurricane Milton in Florida.
The national group is a coalition of blood centers nationwide dedicated to being prepared for mass transfusion emergencies both here in the islands and across the country.
While supporting patients on the mainland, the BBH also must maintain an adequate local blood supply.
BBH urges local community members to donate blood, regardless of blood type, immediately to ensure an adequate supply for Hawaii hospitals and to assist victims of Hurricane Milton.
The blood centers affiliated with BERC collectively pledge to collect additional units of blood on a rotating “on-call” schedule, ensuring an immediate and available supply for emergencies during disasters, including natural events like earthquakes, fires and hurricanes, as well as other crises such as mass shootings.
This year BBH has relied on weekly blood imports from the mainland, specifically Florida, to supplement local patient needs.
Milton has disrupted these shipments, raising concerns for the local blood supply. In the event of a local shortage, it is highly unlikely that BBH will be able to obtain blood from the mainland during this time.
BBH is asking local community members to donate blood now to ensure an adequate supply for Hawaii hospitals’ needs and to assist Hurricane victims.
Kim-Anh Nguyen, president and CEO of BBH, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that BBH shipped out 10 to 20 doses of blood Thursday morning, with each dose equaling about one pint of blood.
The first shipment of blood could help up to 20 patients, depending on the severity of their condition.
“That means a lot for Hawaii, because universal blood — O- negative blood — in Hawaii is very precious,” Nguyen said. “For every 100 people in the state of Hawaii, only 3 of them are going to be O-negative. So for Hawaii, when we ship out 20 units of O-negative blood, that means that we’re going to have to collect blood from almost 1,500 donors to replenish that amount.”
Blood from BBH typically goes to trauma centers across the state or the pediatric center at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children. With Hurricane Milton affecting the mainland and requiring blood shipments from Hawaii, Nguyen emphasized the need for more donations to replenish the local supply.
BBH, which operates 24/7, 365 days a year, needs to collect blood from about 150 to 200 donors every day. Once collected, the blood is sent to BBH’s Dillingham Boulevard headquarters, where it is processed, tested and stored until it is ordered by hospitals.
Nguyen also said that there are times when BBH was unable to meet the blood demand that local hospitals needed.
“We actually were receiving several hundred pints of blood from the mainland, and they were coming from Florida. And so, because of the hurricane, the shipment from Florida wasn’t able to make it. We are really on our own. We really need people in Hawaii to come out and donate blood,” Nguyen said.
Blood donations are needed for the next several weeks due to anticipated increased demand.
BBH is open seven days a week, and donors can visit bbh.org to find donation locations on Oahu. Appointments can be made online, and the donation process takes about an hour.
Hawaii island residents also can donate next week at the upcoming Kona Blood Drive at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, 75-230 Kalani St., Kailua-Kona:
>> 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday
>> 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday
>> 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday
