PLAINFIELD, IN — The Plainfield community rallied together to fill the April 1st blood drive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, where many blood drives have been cancelled. The Town of Plainfield partnered with Versiti Blood Center of Indiana and the Shops at Perry Crossing to host the impromptu blood drive. The blood drive will be held inside the former Forever 21 store located at 2539 Perry Crossing Way #100 on Wednesday, April 1st from 11 am until 4:15 p.m.
“With so many in need right now and the blood supply running to dangerously low levels, we saw the opportunity to use our resources at The Shops at Perry Crossing to reach out and make a positive difference in the community,” said Julie Callis, General Manager of the Shops at Perry Crossing. “We’re in a unique position that allows us to participate in hosting a blood drive while also practicing safe social distancing protocols by activating a large storefront. We’re excited that we can help contribute to that critical blood need while making sure donors feel safe and comfortable.”
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a severe decline in blood availability. The Town of Plainfield, Versiti Blood Center and the Shops at Perry Crossing had to schedule an additional blood drive for April 22nd to fulfill the community’s overwhelming support to save lives. While the donation process itself poses no risk of infecting a donor with coronavirus, if someone has travelled to China, Iran, South Korea, or Italy, they are encouraged to self-defer from donation for 28 days from the date of their return. Versiti is taking special precautions to ensure donor safety:
Donor Health & Registration:
- All donor-facing staff will have their temperature taken prior to beginning their work day
- Donors temperatures will be taken at registration to ensure they are not elevated prior to entering donation areas
- Donors will be asked to wash hands prior to screening
- Donors will be asked if they are currently experiencing coughing or shortness of breath
- Donors will be asked if they have recently traveled to high-risk countries as defined by the CDC
- If any of the above is true, donors will be asked to self-defer
Social Distancing:
- We encourage all donors to make an appointment to lessen the amount of people waiting at our donor centers
- Ensuring six feet of space between chairs in waiting areas and cafe
- Ensuring six feet of space between donation chairs and/or separation with medical screens
- If appointment registration congestion occurs, we will ask for your cell phone number and text when your appointment is ready
Cleaning:
- We clean all equipment, beds, and other surfaces after each donor finishes their donation
- Changing gloves frequently and between donors is part of our normal practice
- We will maintain sanitized pen bins, so donors are only using clean pens at sign-in
“We continue to see organizations in this community reaching out to see how they can make a difference and we’re proud to partner with another one here,” said Town Manager, Andrew Klinger. “We host quarterly blood drives, so this isn’t any different. The need is high right now and we encourage healthy citizens to raise their sleeve to help those who are in need right now.”
