ST. LOUIS — A regional nonprofit group on Monday opened its third blood donation center in the St. Louis area and first in Metro East.
The new center in Fairview Heights at Midway Plaza, 10900B Lincoln Trail, comes as the nation and region grapple with a blood shortage because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and winter weather. ImpactLife has studied its donor base for a few years to determine where to add a third center in the region, said spokesman Kirby Winn.
The Iowa-based nonprofit operates blood donation centers in Crestwood and St. Peters and has a regional operations hub, laboratory, and product distribution center in Earth City. ImpactLife also holds several mobile blood drives annually in the St. Louis region.
"Our new facility in Fairview Heights will help ImpactLife connect with blood donors on a whole new level. And given the challenges we're facing with the blood supply, it couldn't have come at a better time,” Peter Lux, the group’s vice president for donor and patient service, said in a written statement. The Fairview Heights property is owned by an entity tied to Denver real estate firm Baseline Group, according to St. Clair County records.
ImpactLife is a provider of blood components to 125 hospitals in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Those include SSM Health and Hospital Sisters Health System. The group also is a supplemental provider to the Mercy health system.
The organization said it seeks about 3,600 donations every week to support a five-day supply of all blood components across its service region. In recent weeks, however, weekly collections have ranged from 2,500 to 3,000 donations, leading to just a one- to two-day supply of blood components that are in highest demand.
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