National organizations have announced they are experiencing critically low levels of donated blood, but local groups said they aren’t in as much of a tight spot.
Eric Lindsey, Director of Media and Branding for the Kentucky Blood Center, said while they are always in need of new and continuous donations, the situation isn’t dire.
“We’re definitely in a situation where we need donors. If blood donation was not on the front of their minds, we need them to shift it to the forefront. We do need donations, but I want to make sure we’re clear that it’s not necessarily an emergency situation here, but we do need donors here in the coming days and weeks,” said Lindsey.
Lindsey said they are currently low on four blood types: O-, A-, B+, and B-. He said A- is currently at a critical rate, meaning they only have a half-day supply of the type.
He said about 20% of their blood supply comes from high school donation drives, which cannot be held in the summer. This, coupled with other summer factors, leads to lower blood numbers.
“Summer is just a time where folks are busier and aren’t coming to donate blood. There’s summer vacations, a lot of kids’ sports are going on, even the impressive heat we’ve had lately will discourage donors from coming in. All those factors just mean folks aren’t donating quite as frequently this time of the year as they do the other eight or nine months,” said Lindsey.
There is an upcoming blood drive in Morehead on August 20. The donation van will be parked at the Morehead Walmart and running from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Lindsey said appointments are preferred and can be made online, but walk-ins are always accepted.