The American Red Cross issued a statement Jan. 8 asking for blood and platelet donations of all blood types in response to a nationwide shortage.
The organization said severe winter weather has hurt its ability to collect donations, particularly types O negative and B negative. O negative is the universal blood type and is often used in emergency situations.
“Hectic holiday schedules, winter weather and an active cold and flu season collectively contributed to more than 28,000 fewer donations than what was needed in November and December,” the organization said in the statement. "More than 150 blood drives have already been canceled this year due to severe weather."
According to the statement, the Red Cross provides about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply.
Red Cross spokesperson Maya Franklin said the Red Cross typically experiences a slump during the holiday season but that weather has been an especially difficult factor.
“In North Carolina, we were forced to cancel 23 blood drives, and that amounted to us losing more than 600 blood collections,” she said.
In addition to hosting its own events on the UNC campus, the organization’s donor recruitment team is always working to find event sponsors such as local businesses and churches, Franklin said.
“If students would like to donate blood, I would first suggest that they make an appointment through redcrossblood.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or downloading the Blood Donor App. They’ll have the ability to make an appointment and get a rapid pass on the day of their appointment,” she said.
Once donors arrive, the entire donation process takes about 45 minutes to an hour, Franklin said.
