Calling all O-negative blood donors! An announcement yesterday from the Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region says the need is urgent.
Here's the reason:
Low holiday donor turnout and harsh winter weather have severely impacted the supply of Type O-negative blood.
Here and in much of the Midwest, the O-negative blood supply has gotten very low, and it’s expected to drop to even lower levels in the coming days and weeks.
Although every blood type is important, people with type O-negative blood are particularly in demand because they are the "universal donor." This means people of all blood types can safely receive type O-negative blood, so it is used during life-threatening emergencies or when the matching blood type is in short supply.
If you have Type O-negative blood, please consider donating blood at a Red Cross blood drive or donor center near you.
Potential donors can find upcoming blood drives and center locations at
RedCrossBlood.org.
Text redcross to 42227 or register online at redcrossblood.org to receive emergency inventory updates.
Here at our Chapter office, we are holding a blood drive on
Thursday, January 28, from
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Please make an appointment, either online at
redcrossblood.org or by calling
Janet Licklider, at
314.516.2882.
And even though the holidays are over - take :30 seconds to watch
this video and see why giving blood is so important.
Katie Nagus is the communication coordinator for the St. Louis Area Chapter.