Bloodworks Northwest is currently seeking additional blood donors as it works to recover from the recent CrowdStrike outage. The incident caused disruptions in the organization’s systems, leading to the cancellation of appointments for nearly 250 blood donors. Donor appointments at centers and planned blood drives were affected as a result of the faulty update from the CrowdStrike cybersecurity vendor, causing computers used by the organization to go down. Bloodworks Northwest issued an appeal for people in the region to schedule appointments via its website to donate blood.
The fallout from the CrowdStrike outage impacted numerous health providers, including Bloodworks Northwest, resulting in delayed shipments of critical supplies and disruptions in operations. The nonprofit is actively troubleshooting the issues and expects a full recovery to take several days. Despite the challenges, donations and appointments have resumed and staff are working diligently to address the aftermath of the outage. Microsoft reported that 8.5 million Windows devices were affected by the issue, accounting for less than 1 percent of all Windows machines.
Many of CrowdStrike’s customers, including businesses and organizations responsible for critical infrastructure, experienced significant challenges due to the faulty update that caused Windows machines to boot into a “Blue Screen of Death.” Airlines and health-care institutions were among the hardest-hit by the outage, resulting in widespread disruptions to key IT systems. CrowdStrike has outlined a fix for the issue that involves booting Windows machines in safe mode and deleting the file associated with the buggy update. Microsoft also released a tool over the weekend to help IT departments recover from the outage.
The timing of the CrowdStrike outage was particularly unfortunate for blood donations, as it occurred during the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day known as the “100 Deadliest Days.” This time is associated with an increase in teen crashes, leading to a higher demand for blood donations. However, donations tend to drop during this period, making the impact of the outage even more critical. Bloodworks Northwest is urging individuals to schedule appointments to donate blood in order to address the current shortage and ensure an adequate supply for those in need.
As Bloodworks Northwest continues to recover from the CrowdStrike outage, the organization is encouraging individuals in the region to support their efforts by donating blood. The disruption caused by the faulty update has highlighted the importance of maintaining a stable and secure IT infrastructure, especially for organizations like Bloodworks Northwest that rely on technology to manage donor appointments and blood drives. By scheduling appointments to donate blood, individuals can help replenish the supply and support the nonprofit’s mission to provide critical resources to those in need.
In response to the CrowdStrike outage and the challenges it created for Bloodworks Northwest and other health providers, organizations are working diligently to address the aftermath of the incident and ensure that operations return to normal. Despite the disruptions caused by the faulty update, Bloodworks Northwest is committed to providing essential blood supplies to patients in hospitals and healthcare facilities. By raising awareness about the importance of blood donations and encouraging community members to schedule appointments, Bloodworks Northwest aims to overcome the current shortage and meet the ongoing demand for blood products.
