A semi is seen parked in front of the NW Sports Hub reading 'Please Donate Blood' during a blood drive last month in Centralia.
This is the first time the lights have been on, all week, inside the NW Sports Hub as concerns over COVID-19 force the business to close to regular operations, seen Thursday afternoon during a blood drive in Centralia.
A blood drive took placeThursday afternoon at the NW Sports Hub in Centralia.
The Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Bloodworks Northwest held a blood drive at the Northwest Sports Hub on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Growing concerns about COVID-19 is leading to an increased number of canceled blood drives, which is impacting the amount of blood available for those in need. This is creating a significant public health risk and puts our local blood supply in danger of collapse,” the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce posted on their website.
It was asked that donors call and make an appointment before heading to the sports hub. Inside the waiting area, chairs were all at least six feet apart as well as the donor beds. There were about twenty donors in the building at around 2 p.m. and staff said they remained busy for most of the day.
“Our region’s blood stores are extremely low. We should not let fear from one health issue create another,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “I encourage everyone to donate blood and help their communities.”
Bloodworks Northwest, a blood bank and medical research institute based in Seattle, said that donating blood is a safe procedure and the staff has been taking extra precautions since the COVID-19 outbreak such as extra sanitation and telling employees to stay home if they feel sick.
