Blood Assurance is in critical need of several blood types and platelets
Nonprofit regional blood center, Blood Assurance, is calling on community members to make a whole blood or platelet donation at a Blood Assurance donor center or blood drive.
The supply of platelets and A negative whole blood is at a critical level, and O negative, O positive, and A positive are also especially needed at this time. Blood Assurance is asking the community to donate to help guarantee blood and platelets are readily available for hospital patients.
“We are at a critical level of A negative right now and are in critical need of platelets as well,” said Dr. Elizabeth Culler, medical director at Blood Assurance. “We also only have a 2-day supply of O negative, which is the blood type used in traumas. A positive and O positive are also at lower levels than we like to see. To most effectively serve local hospitals, we need to have a four to five-day supply of platelets and these blood types.”
Whole blood can be donated at Blood Assurance centers and mobile blood drives, but platelets can only be donated at the centers.
“We are in the midst of a national platelet shortage,” said J.B. Gaskins, president and CEO of Blood Assurance. “We only have about a quarter of the platelets we like to see in inventory. Platelet transfusions are essential to many cancer patients and they count on donors in our communities every day to ensure they have what they need.”
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 18 years old (16 and 17 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.
To schedule an appointment at a donor center or blood drive near you, please visit www.bloodassurance.org, call 800-962-0628 or text ‘BAGIVE ‘ to 444999.