Desert Care Network Hospitals Urge Community to Donate Blood During Shortage

Desert Regional Medical Center, JFK Memorial Hospital and Hi-Desert Medical Center are hosting summer blood drives that are open to employees and the community at large 

Palm Springs - June 13, 2022 - The three hospitals of Desert Care Network are hosting blood drives during the summer months, encouraging all staff and members of the community to participate in order to alleviate a shortage that began during the pandemic and continues today.

Summer is a particularly hard time for blood donations in the desert communities served by Desert Care Network hospitals because seasonal visitors have returned home, and year-round residents often take their summer vacations. That normal decline was made worse during the pandemic, when many blood drives were cancelled.

“We’re hoping to re-energize our employees and our neighbors to get back into giving back -- by donating blood,” said Michele Finney, CEO for Desert Care Network and Desert Regional Medical Center. “Both Desert Regional and JFK Memorial Hospital are trauma centers serving the critically ill and injured in our communities. And all three of our hospitals have an urgent need for blood in our emergency rooms, and for all types of surgical services we provide to our patients. We hope that everyone who is able to donate will come out and help.”

The next three blood drives, all open to the public, will be held at the following times:

• Palm Springs: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 14 at the Sinatra Education Center on the campus of Desert Regional Medical Center, 1150 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs CA 92262.
• Joshua Tree: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 15 at the Helen Gray Education Center on the campus of Hi-Desert Medical Center, 6601 White Feather Road, Joshua Tree, CA 92252.
• Indio: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23 in Conference Room A of the Medical Office Building on the campus of JFK Memorial Hospital, 81863 Dr. Carreon Blvd., Indio CA 02201.

Everyone in the community can make an appointment for these and many other blood drives by visiting the LifeStream Blood Bank website, https://lstream.org.