Carter BloodCare offers $25 perk for O positive donors

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, Texas ( FOX 44 ) – Carter BloodCare is offering a little perk to motivate people with O positive blood to donate.

The nonprofit blood center is awarding $25 worth of e-gift cards to each O positive whole blood or double red cell donor through July 31. While the organization says all blood types are essential, recent O positive donations have not kept pace with patient needs.

Critical status means there is less than a day’s supply of blood on hand. This has led to surgeries and medical treatments being postponed until the community supply is replenished.

The organization says at least 39 percent of the U.S. population is type O positive, making it the most common blood type. O positive is used in treating traumatic bleeding, often due to life-threatening traffic accidents, and in other medical emergencies.

Carter BloodCare says alhough it takes only one hour to give, blood donations typically drop during the summer as student donors go on break. This is an important point since 25 percent of the community blood supply is collected through high school blood drives. In addition, as more people travel out of town for summer vacations, blood donations can dip.

The organization says it anticipates and prepares for the annual drop, though this season’s slump is more severe than in past years.

If you would like to set up an appointment, find the nearest donor center or find the nearest mobile blood drive, you can visit CarterBloodCare.org .

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