News Release December 20, 2006

Bonfils Blood Center Community Blood Drives Cancelled; Community Donor Centers Closed Due to Inclement Weather

For more information contact:
Julie Scott 303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (December 20, 2006) - Due to poor weather conditions and unsafe roads Bonfils Blood Center has elected to shut down its nine community donor centers and to cancel all of its afternoon community blood drives effective noon (12 p.m.) today, Wednesday, Dec. 20. Bonfils’ community donor centers will remain closed and blood drives are cancelled tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 21. Community donor centers and community blood drives are scheduled to re-open Friday, Dec. 22.

In addition to already experiencing a steep decline in donations around the holidays, severe winter storms, such as the one the Denver Metro area is experiencing today, negatively impact the community blood supply. Bonfils encourages blood donors to make an appointment to donate blood as soon as road travel becomes safe. Please call (303) 363-2300 to schedule your donation appointment.

Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 200 healthcare facilities and needs to collect 4,350 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about scheduling a blood donation, please visit www.bonfils.org or call (303) 363-2300 or (800) 365-0006.