Santa Rosa Blood Center re‐opens following fires; needs blood donors

Blood Centers of the Pacific’s Santa Rosa Center is back open and in need of volunteer blood donors after being closed for nearly two weeks due to the North Bay wildfires. The blood center is both a hub of operations that delivers blood products to all the Sonoma County hospitals as well as a blood donation center.
The center on Industrial Drive is in an area heavily impacted by the fire where several nearby structures, including the Kmart, were destroyed. Miraculously, the center was spared by the flames, however the building remained in an evacuation zone and inaccessible. Thanks to a tremendous effort by staff, BCP’s center of Northern California operations in San Francisco maintained uninterrupted service to hospitals in the area despite the Santa Rosa Center being closed.
The Santa Rosa Blood Centers of the Pacific location is at 3505 Industrial Drive. There may be road closures in the area and donors are asked to be patient navigating the streets. The center is back to its regular hours of operation: Monday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Sundays are reserved for platelet donors.
“The entire building has been thoroughly cleaned and inspected. We have been working diligently with local agencies to make sure our staff and donors would be safe before opening,” said Nicole Anderson, regional director for Blood Centers of the Pacific. “Our hearts go out to our neighbors who were not as fortunate as we were. For them, they need to focus on rebuilding their lives; for others who want to and can provide a much needed community service, the two‐week interruption in blood collections needs to be shored up and every available blood donor is welcome.”
To schedule an appointment to donate blood at the Santa Rosa Blood Center or a blood drive near you, please visit www.bloodcenters.org or call (888)393‐GIVE.
Submitted by Kent Corley.