
ImpactLife is calling for donors in the Quad Cities and beyond to help replenish its blood inventories in the wake of its response to multiple crises nationwide, including a cybersecurity incident this week in New York.

In a Friday, Jan. 31, news release ImpactLife said its own service region is always its top priority, but it also has responded with blood inventory to a number of separate crises in January outside its service area.
Donations from ImpactLife have also helped save lives in New Orleans, southern California, Louisiana and most recently, in New York. That’s where a cybersecurity incident on Sunday, Jan. 26, affected the New York Blood Center Enterprises.
“We never know when the call for outside support might come,” said Katie Marchik, chief operating officer for ImpactLife in the Quad Cities. “And this month, we have seen that call for help come more frequently than before.”
The request for increased donations comes as the now 50-year-old blood provider, with locations in Davenport and Moline, and the industry marks National Blood Donor Month in January.
Terrorist attack, fires
ImpactLife was among 12 blood centers that were on call to help when the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) was activated on New Year’s Day after a terrorist attack in New Orleans.
The following week, ImpactLife provided blood components for a southern California hospital whose blood supply was diminished because of tragic wildfires. And ImpactLife was on call again when BERC was activated in response to snow and ice in Lousiana that disrupted transportation networks late last week.
ImpactLife said it also supported the national response to the ransomware event that began to unfold Sunday against a New York blood provider. Cybersecurity experts have confirmed the suspicious activity in NYBCe IT systems is a result of a ransomware incident, and NYBCe took many of its systems offline.
This limited the blood center’s ability to process and label blood donations, so blood industry partners across the U.S. — including ImpactLife — answered the call for blood inventory for NYBCe throughout the week.
ImpactLife encourages eligible donors to give blood to help maintain a robust supply for both local and national needs. To book an appointment, call (800) 747-5401, or schedule online at www.bloodcenter.org or via the ImpactLife mobile app (www.bloodcenter.org/app).
“As the year unfolds, ImpactLife remains committed to ensuring that hospitals and EMS providers in our region have the blood products they need,” said Ms. Marchik. “And with strong donor support across our region, we are also prepared to assist wherever needed in times of crisis.”
According to Ms. Marchik, ImpactLife provides blood to more than 120 hospitals and EMS providers in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. Also a national blood resource sharing partner, it is one of the 12 largest blood centers involved. ImpactLife sends blood outside of its Midwest region on a weekly basis to support other independent non-profit blood centers and hospital partners when there is a need.
Emergency requests up
“In the first month of the year, we have shipped more than 500 units of additional blood products to support blood resource sharing partners in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Kentucky, Louisiana and now, to support New York Blood Center Enterprises following a cybersecurity incident,” she said in an email to the QCBJ.
ImpactLife relies on about 3,600 donations weekly to support both local and national needs. But when unusual disaster situations arise, it puts a strain on supplies throughout the country, she said. “So we rely more than ever on our volunteer donors to answer the call.”
Ms. Marchik said the blood center sets aside type O red blood cells for when it is on call for the BERC. “But we often assist other blood centers across the country in recovery efforts even when we are not on call. That has certainly been the case this year so far,” she added.