The Blood Connection Has Urgent Need for O-negative

The Blood Connection has an urgent need for O-negative blood. Donors are encouraged to give as soon as possible to ensure that blood is available for hospital patients.

“While every donation is vitally needed, particularly as we get closer to another holiday weekend, O- negative can be received by all hospital patients whether they’re an O, A, B or AB blood type, and this is crucial in trauma situations.” said TBC President and CEO Delisa English.

The long months of summer make the blood supply particularly vulnerable. As donations decline, the need for blood tends to rise during the summer months.

“The blood supply has urgent needs right now. Many of our dedicated donors are enjoying summer. At the same time, people are on the road traveling, and this creates the potential for more trauma accidents. Combined with heat waves and storms in parts of the country, we have to be prepared.”

On average, it takes more than 400 blood donations per day to maintain an adequate blood supply. English says an unexpected trauma can require 20 pints of blood or more. If there happens to be multiple traumas that require blood, the community supply could be dramatically reduced.

Cancer patients are usually the number one recipients of blood, but blood is also needed for burn victims, premature infants, car accident victims, heart surgery patients and organ transplant patients.

TBC urges all eligible donors to donate, to help ensure that hospital needs for blood are uninterrupted. Although TBC is specifically requesting O-negative blood donations, all blood types are needed.

TBC’s mission is to ensure all hospital partners have the blood supplies needed for patients at any given time. Blood donors must be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be 17 years old or 16 with written parental consent.

Donors can visit thebloodconnection.org to find a blood drive. They can also give at any one of TBC’s donation centers at 435 Woodruff Road, Greenville; 341 Old Abbeville Highway, Greenwood; 1954 East Main Street, Easley; 1308 Sandifer Boulevard, Seneca; 270 North Grove Medical Park Drive, Spartanburg; and 825 Spartanburg Highway, Hendersonville.