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KIRKSVILLE, MO -- The wild winter weather that we have experienced here in the heartland has also taken its toll on the Red Cross. Thanks to last week’s blizzard, the Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region was forced to cancel 87 blood drives. This has resulted in a shortfall of almost 3,400 blood donations since the first of the year.
“We are in great need of blood donations” said Red Cross Donor Recruitment Representative Sara Rex. “We’ve had these blood drives scheduled anywhere from three to six months in advance; they take time, people and location. So we’re not just able to reschedule all of them anytime soon.”
They’re not just struggling at the local level either. Nationally, the Red Cross has lost an estimated 28,000 blood donations because of the winter storms. And while they need everyone to pitch in and help, Rex said they need some more than others.
“All types are always needed, the types that we do always fall back on though are the O-Negative and the O-Positive because O-Negative is the universal blood type that can be given to anyone in like a trauma situation” said Rex. “Then the A-Negative and B-Negative now also are types that we are low on that we request.”
In an effort to replenish the low blood supply, the Missouri-Illinois Region will be extending blood drive hours up to one hour as long as potential donors are attempting to donate at any given drive.
If you would like to help out and donate blood you are encouraged to schedule an appointment by calling the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 or visiting the Red Cross website.
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