It might look a little different than normal: the layout is a bit more spread out than usual, and prospective donors are greeted with a pre-check and temperature check before they even enter the building, but the Blood Bank of Hawaii’s return to Kona has been a success so far. The organization returned to the Big Island this week, taking over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Kona Cultural Hall for the first blood drive in West Hawaii since January.
“We drew 122 units yesterday, which we’re pretty happy with,” said BBH’s marketing director Justin Martin on Wednesday.
The exact volume in a unit varies, as some donors are able to provide more red blood cells, and others still can donate COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Type O-positive and O-negative blood types are typically in highest need; the pandemic has exacerbated this need, dropping the organization’s supply down to as little as a one-day supply in past months.
While BBH’s schedule for Thursday, the last day of their drive in Kona, is currently full, Martin urged those still interested in donating to visit bbh.org or call 808-848-4770 to see if any cancellations have been made.
“You can still check the site or the number,” said Martin. “We’ve had some people who called in and checked the site and we end up seeing them later; that can happen.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, BBH has previously visited Kauai and Hilo; they will next visit Maui in their tour of the neighbor islands before restarting the cycle. No exact return date has been set in Kona yet.
“We’re thankful that we’re back in Kona,” said Martin. “We’re looking forward in the future to continue doing this. We’re thankful to the LDS, who were able to give us a really good location; we were able to set up and do things safe.”