GOING DRY

WASILLA — Citing decreased demand due to the down economy, the Blood Bank of Alaska is closing its donation centers in Wasilla and Soldotna.

Alaska is following a national trend, spokesman David Large said. In the last five months, statewide demand has dropped by 10 percent.

“With the increase in people losing their jobs, and with it their insurance, people are doing less elective surgeries,” Large said.

The leases are up at the end of the year for both the Wasilla branch, which contributes 7 percent of the state’s donations, and the Soldotna branch, accounting for another 5 percent. Looking forward, it made sense to not renew, Large said.

“There is just so much uncertainty. We are trying to provide a service here, and we don’t want to jeopardize the organization financially,” Large said.

Blood Bank of Alaska services 25 health care facilities around the state. It has three other fixed donation centers — two in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks. The group also uses mobile clinics to get donations from schools, businesses or areas not near a fixed center.

With the closures, the supply to hospitals will not be affected, Large said, as the supply chain does not necessarily depend on these two donation centers.

All donated blood is routed through one of two processing facilities — one in Fairbanks and one in Anchorage. Additionally, Large said the group will step up its mobile donation clinics in both the Valley and the Peninsula.

A call to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center confirmed this. Linda Olson, the head of Infusion Services, said all the blood Mat-Su Regional gets comes from the processing facility in Anchorage.

“It shouldn’t affect us,” Olson said. “It would only make a difference if the supply of blood drastically decreased in the state.”

Olson said maybe it wouldn’t be as convenient for some people to donate if the centers close, but she understands how it might make the group more efficient.

Local resident Linda Shea said she donates blood every couple of months and has done so for many years. Now, she will have to wait for a mobile clinic because she avoids going to Anchorage at all costs.

“(Giving blood) is one of the easiest things we can do to save lives,” Shea said, “but I’m not going to Anchorage.”

Large said while the organization wants to make it as easy as possible to donate blood, it also wants to respect the people who do give. Taking more blood than needed means more blood will expire without being used.

“We want to honor the donations our donors give us,” he said. “Blood is still being needed, but we have to be really efficient how we collect it.”

Large said the employees at the two centers have been given the option to commute or relocate to work at other centers. If they decline, they will be offered a severance package, he said.

There is a possibility the organization could reopen the facilities in the future, but that all depends on demand.

“We’re trying to weather the storm and see how things play out,” Large said.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.