January is National Blood Donor Month, a time to honor voluntary blood donors and encourage more people to donate blood and help save lives.
The Village of Lombard is thanking donors for their life-saving blood donations at the Village's Winter Blood Drive, and other local community blood drives this month. Through these blood drives, a total of 81 pints were collected, with the combined potential to save up to 243 lives. Since the program began in 1988, Lombard has held 267 blood drives which collected more than 17,800 units, potentially saving up to 53,463 lives.
Each winter, spring, summer and fall, the Village of Lombard, in conjunction with Versiti Blood Centers, hosts blood drives at Yorktown and the First Church of Lombard. The Village's remaining blood drives will be held on April 18, June 13 and September 19, as well as a blood drive on November 14 to honor our Veterans and former Village President Bill Mueller.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its blood donor eligibility guidance on Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), eliminating the deferral for those who spent time in the U.K., Ireland and France between 1980 and 2001. In combination with prior eligibility updates in 2020 for those who spent time in other European countries, this new change effectively eliminates the deferral related to vCJD for all donors.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put additional pressure on blood supplies, leading to critical blood donation shortages across the country. Village residents, family and friends are encouraged to become blood donors and help save lives.
For information on becoming a blood donor, contact the Village of Lombard at 630-620-5712 or visit www.villageoflombard.org/blooddrives to learn more.