Red Cross, OBI In Need Of Donors Amid Critical Blood Shortage In Oklahoma

Multiple agencies are issuing an urgent call for blood donors due to a critical blood shortage across Oklahoma. The Red Cross and Oklahoma Blood Institute need help restocking their shelves.

Officials said winter weather conditions threatening to cancel blood drives along with illnesses across the state create a shortage of blood this time a year.  All blood types are needed, but they're especially looking for O Positive and O Negative.

“Opportunity to save lives, every unit of blood donated can save up to three lives,” said Brittney Rockwell with the Red Cross.

Every day the Red Cross said they must collect nearly 13,000 blood donations and more than 2,600 platelet donations for patients who rely on blood to survive. A shortage of blood can cause delays in medical care for patients.

The Oklahoma Blood Institute said they're in need of more blood as well.

“When an emergency strikes, it's the blood on the shelves that's the most necessary that's needed right then,” said Heather Browne with the Oklahoma Blood Institute. “We need a constant flow of donors, up to 1200 donors per day to maintain the blood supply.”

O positive blood is the most transfused and O negative, the universal donor, is used for disaster situations. It can be pulled off the shelf and used right then. Tina Kliewer is a consistent donor at OBI and said it's important to her to help out.

“It's just somebody's going to get it and it's going to help somebody and that's all that really matters to me,” said Kliewer.

For more on OBI's upcoming blood drives, click here. 

Below is a list of blood drives coming up across the metro:

Norman

1/27/2020: 7 a.m. - 1 p.m., Cleveland County Family YMCA, 1350 Lexington Ave.

2/10/2020: 12:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., American Red Cross Norman Chapter, 1205 Halley Drive

Oklahoma City

2/1/2020: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Mary Jane Dispensary, 2990 SE 19th Street, Unit 1

2/5/2020: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., MACU- NAIA, 3500 SW 119th Street

Midwest City

2/11/2020: 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Rose State College Wellness Center, 6420 SE 15th Street

Oklahoma City

1/25/2020: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Penn Square Mall, 1901 NW Expressway

1/29/2020: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma, 601 NE 6th ST

2/8/2020: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Penn Square Mall, 1901 NW Expressway

Stillwater

1/23/2020: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Oklahoma State University Phi Gamma Delta House, 1123 W University

1/27/2020: 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Oklahoma State University Veterinarian School, OSU Veterinarian School, N McFarland Ave

2/7/2020: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Stillwater Medical Center, 1323 W. 6th Avenue