SAN ANTONIO – The need for blood donations in South Texas is critical.
O-negative, the universal blood type, is fluctuating between a day and a half day’s worth. It’s the blood used in emergencies first responders go to.
The lack of blood could also delay other treatments where blood is needed, such as blood transfusions.
“My aunt who goes through dialysis, sometimes they have to postpone her appointments because you know just the lack of availability,” said Katherine Fleming.
According to Director of Communications for the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center Roger Ruiz, if donations don’t improve, those in a non-emergency situation might be at the mercy of blood availability.
The organization would like roughly 600 donations a day. They’re currently getting around 350.
Ruiz said the Easter holiday has played a role in slowed donations.
“We had probably a four-day supply of overall blood types, which is great but the reason behind those four days is because we’re getting help from other communities,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz said the STBTC can only ask for outside help every so often, adding that a community as large as South Texas shouldn’t have to rely on outside help.
Even with the four-day supply overall, ideally, they would like seven days worth.
Before the outside help, the overall blood supply was going from one to two days worth.
“Having less than a day is not where we want to be and having less than a day, half a day is something that is very scary,” said Ruiz.
If you are capable and willing to donate, you can visit https://biobridgeglobal.org/donors/ . There are also lots of incentives for donors like movie tickets and free admission to Six Flags.
