Texans urged to donate blood in July to fight O positive drought
DALLAS-FORT WORTH – July 2, 2024 – With the O positive blood supply at critical levels, Texas-based Carter BloodCare is encouraging donors to lend an arm to help.
While all blood types are essential, recent O positive donations have not kept pace with patient needs.
Critical status means there is less than a day’s supply of blood on hand. This has led to surgeries and medical treatments getting delayed until the community supply is replenished.
Read: Carter BloodCare offers $50 critical-need perk to O positive donors
At least 39% of the U.S. population is type O positive, making it the most common blood type. O positive is used in treating traumatic bleeding — often due to life-threatening traffic accidents — and in other medical emergencies.
Though it takes only one hour to give, blood donations typically drop during the summer as student donors go on break, an important point since 25% of the community blood supply is collected through high school blood drives. Also, as more people travel out of town for summer vacations, blood donations can drop.
To set an appointment or to find the nearest donor center or mobile blood drive, visit CarterBloodCare.org.
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 200 medical facilities in 57 counties of North, Central and East Texas. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 440,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products. Tu centro de sangre comunitario.
