The American Red Cross has extended its urgent call for donors of all blood types to give blood or platelets.
With influenza escalating across the country and preventing some donors from giving, and winter weather threatening to cancel blood drives, the Red Cross now has a critical shortage of type O blood and urgently needs donors to restock the shelves.
Currently, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of type O blood available for patient emergencies and medical treatments.
Type O positive blood is the most transfused blood type
and can be given to Rh-positive patients of any blood type. While just 7% of the U.S. population has type O negative blood, it can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is what hospital staff reach for during emergencies when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type.
Every day, the Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood donations and more than 2,600 platelet donations for patients who rely on blood to survive. Shortfalls in donations can cause
delays in essential medical care for patients like 12-year-old Dagan Hawkins.
Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November, Dagan has required platelet and blood transfusions during his cancer treatments. “There was a time when they needed to have
blood products delivered from another hospital because they were unavailable there,” said Dustin Hawkins, Dagan’s father.
Donors of all blood types – especially types O positive and O negative – are urged to make an appointment to give blood now using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Upcoming blood donation opportunities:
Dale United Methodist Church, 1 West Elm St. Dale , IN 47523
1/27/2020: 3 – 7 p.m.
Lincoln Trail Elementary, 13726 Indiana 245 Lamar, IN 47550
1/30/2020: 1 – 6 p.m.
Luce Elementary School, 1057 North County Road 700 West Richland, IN 47634
1/27/2020: 2 – 7 p.m.
St. Bernard Catholic Church, 547 Elm St. Rockport, IN 47635
1/22/2020: 4- 8 p.m.
St. Meinrad School of Theology, 200 Hill Drive Saint Meinrad, IN 47577
2/6/2020: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Santa Claus United Methodist Church, 351 North Holiday Blvd. Santa Claus, IN 47579
1/30/2020: 1 – 6 p.m.
Paroquet Springs Conference Centre, 395 Paroquet Springs Drive Shepherdsville, KY 40165
1/21/2020: 3 – 7 p.m.
Elizabethtown Community Drive, Towne Mall, 1704 N. Dixie Elizabethtown , KY 42701
1/27/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
1/31/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
2/3/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
2/7/2020: 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
American Legion Post 113, 1251 Ring Road Elizabethtown, KY 42701
2/1/2020: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Ft. Knox Hansen Center, 1053 Spearhead Division Ave. Fort Knox, KY 40121
2/4/2020: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
St. Brigid CCC, 314 East Main Vine Grove, KY 40175
2/14/2020: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hodgenville Elementary School, 33 Eagle Lane Hodgenville, KY 42748
1/27/2020: 3 – 8 p.m.
Hodgenville Woman's Club, 19 Lincoln Square Hodgenville, KY 42748
2/11/2020: noon – 5 p.m.
VFW Auxiliary, 770 By-Pass Road Brandenburg, KY 40108
2/11/2020: 2 – 7 p.m.
Parkway Baptist, 2580 Springfield Road Bardstown, KY 40004
2/2/2020: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
New Haven Rolling Fork Fire, 362 Center St. New Haven, KY 40051
1/26/2020: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
First Baptist Church of Taylorsville, 115 W. Main St. Taylorsville, KY 40071
2/11/2020: 2 – 6 p.m.