Urgent need for blood donations in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Versiti Blood Center of Indiana, which supplies blood to more than 60 hospitals statewide, is experiencing an urgent need for blood donations.

The center collects over 130,000 units of blood annually but is now calling on Hoosiers to help replenish their supply.

Penny Schroeder, area vice president for Versiti Blood Center of Indiana, stopped by WISH-TV to chat with Daybreak’s Jeremy Jenkins about the critical situation.

“People need to sign up to donate blood or visit one of our blood centers or one of our blood drives and…donate blood,” Schroeder said. “We are experiencing an urgent need for O negative blood in particular and O positive blood, but we need all blood types.”

Schroeder highlighted that someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. She also noted that 25% of Indiana’s blood supply comes from college and high school partners. With schools out for the summer, the supply is significantly strained.

“It will take a bit for schools to ramp up once they’re back in session,” Schroeder explained. “If you’ve not scheduled your blood donation, please do so because we need it.”

The consequences of not having an adequate blood supply can be dire. Schroeder explained that without blood on the shelf, trauma victims, accident victims, and mothers experiencing complications during delivery may not receive the lifesaving care they need.

Versiti Blood Center has made it easy for Hoosiers to donate. Individuals can sign up at versity.org, visit any blood center, or attend local blood drives. Donors are asked to bring a picture ID and make sure they feel healthy and well. The entire process takes about an hour.

Here are some of the locations where you can donate:

Appointments can be made online, but walk-ins are also welcome. For more information, visit Versiti Blood Center .