Today, Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) announced a blood emergency following a period of low donor turnout due to holidays and school breaks. There is currently a 2-3-day supply of type O negative, as well as a critical shortage of platelets, but all donation types are needed.
Type O negative is the universal blood type and represents only 6% of the US population. It is most often used in trauma situations, allowing for immediate transfusions during emergencies. The current low supply of O negative blood is critical and donations from these donors are especially needed.
School breaks and weather complications have contributed to the recent drop in donations. Additionally, we are still recovering from a nearly 50% decrease of youth and first-time blood donors since 2019, and working to rebuild donations from this population. At one time, youth donations represented 25% of our blood supply, but now only contribute 10% of the country’s donations.
“We are asking our community to respond during this blood emergency so that we are able to meet the
needs of patients in the hospitals we serve,” said Kathy Geist, Vice President at Memorial Blood Centers. “We are calling on eligible donors to make an immediate blood or platelet donation, and it is our hope that we’ll see first time and youth donors answer our call for help.”
The next regular Pine City Community Blood Drive event is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16th from 10:30am – 6:30pm. This month the bus will be parked at Wal-Mart, 1100 Hillside Ave SW. Online scheduling is available HERE.