Regional: American Red Cross Facing Blood Donation Shortage

Bay City News

The American Red Cross is urgently asking for blood donations amid an emergency nationwide shortage of its blood supply.

The organization provides disaster relief and emergency assistance, including collecting 40% of the nation's blood donation supply. It faced a shortfall of more than 19,000 blood donations in July, causing its blood supply to drop by more than 25%.

The summer season has contributed to the shortage due to more people traveling and heat waves in July across the country, impacting over 100 blood drives in nearly every state, including eight in the Bay Area, said Pooja Klebig, communications director for the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region.

Additionally, extreme weather events this month such as wildfires in the western U.S. and peak hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean can lead to "blood drive cancellations and lower donor turnout, threatening an already low blood supply," Klebig said.

While people of all blood types are encouraged to donate, type O blood inventory specifically is extremely low. Both negative and positive type O blood is the most used in transfusions because of its versatility.

Type O positive is the most common blood type in the U.S. and can be given to anyone with a positive blood type.

Type O negative is the universal blood type that can be safely used for any transfusion, making it the most used for life-threatening situations, such as accidents and other trauma when there is no time to determine the blood type of patients.

Therefore, type O blood is in high demand.

"Right now, the supply of type O blood products is so low that hospital distributions of this vital blood type have been reduced below what hospitals need in recent weeks," Klebig said.

Anyone who makes a blood, plasma or platelet donation through Aug. 31 will receive a $20 gift card to www.amazon.com.

Appointments can be made by visiting www.redcrossblood.org or calling (1-800) 733-2767. The nearest donation centers and a list of available appointments can be found by entering a zip code at www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive.

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