The American Red Cross is officially out of the blood donation business in central Arkansas.
As of Monday, the organization transferred its donors and blood-drive sponsors to the Arkansas Blood Institute, a nonprofit that will consolidate the Red Cross' blood donation operation into its own.
The change won't adversely affect the blood supply for hospitals or recipients, and officials for both groups expect efficiency to increase with the move. The Arkansas Blood Institute is the exclusive supplier for 40 hospitals in Arkansas; the Red Cross stopped supplying central Arkansas trauma centers with blood in 2016.
Little Rock donors can visit the Blood Institute's location at Markham Street and Shackleford Drive, and the group plans to reopen the Red Cross donation centers in North Little Rock and Russellville on Feb. 19 under the Arkansas Blood Institute umbrella.
Nothing will change for donors except the logos they see, said Paulette Nieuwenhof, the Arkansas Blood Institute's executive director.
"If you were a 5-gallon donor, you'll still be a 5-gallon donor," she said.
The change led to 87 Red Cross employees losing their jobs at the humanitarian organization, but Nieuwenhof said 40 were offered similar jobs at the Arkansas Blood Institute with 34 accepting.
Those employees started orientation Wednesday, Nieuwenhof said.
The Red Cross will continue providing other services in central Arkansas, including disaster relief, veterans services and health and safety training.
Red Cross blood donation services will still be offered in the north and northeast regions of the state with donation centers in Mountain Home and Jonesboro.
Laura McGuire, a Red Cross spokesman, said the Red Cross' mission in Arkansas hasn't changed.
"We are pleased with this collaborative effort and continue our work to ensure a smooth transition for our valued blood donors and blood drive sponsors," she said. "Our collective goal is to ensure donors, sponsors and volunteers continue to serve their community."
The Arkansas Blood Institute has affiliates in 37 counties, according to information provided by the company. The institute is an offshoot of the Oklahoma Blood Institute -- the ninth-largest nonprofit blood center in the U.S.
Other states have reported drops in blood supply in recent months. The Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger reported this week that blood donations dropped 25 percent in Mississippi last month, causing state blood banks to "hit the panic button" and hospitals to cancel some elective surgeries.
The blood supply in central Arkansas is stable, Nieuwenhof said, but donations are always needed. Red blood cells have a 42-day shelf life, while platelets are usable only for five days.
"There's no substitute for blood," Nieuwenhof said, adding that the holiday season is an especially slow time for donations. She mentioned that O-negative blood is always needed.
A unit of donated blood could potentially save three lives -- someone having surgery may need the red blood cells, a child undergoing cancer treatment may need the platelets and a burn victim could use the plasma, according to Nieuwenhof.
In addition to the charitable motivation, the Arkansas Blood Institute offers other incentives to donors. Chiefly, the institute will help donors or their tax dependents cover the costs of blood transfusions if their insurance companies don't cover it. Furthermore, companies that host blood drives can receive the same benefit for all their employees if 25 percent of workers successfully donate.
The Arkansas Blood Institute also is giving a winter-themed long-sleeve T-shirt to successful donors through the end of January and a free admission ticket to the Arkansas Museum of Discovery through February.
Metro on 01/05/2018