Blood Assurance only has ten units of O-negative blood on the shelf and is also in critical need of platelet donors.
"O-negative blood is the only blood used in trauma situations and platelets are essential in the treatment of cancer patients," officials said. "Having both on the shelf is essential to ensuring patients in the community have the blood products they need."
Blood Assurance and Erlanger are asking the community to schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets now.
“As the areas only Level I Trauma Center we are acutely aware of the impact blood and blood products have on patients’ outcomes,” said Robbie Tester, Erlanger senior director of Emergency Management and LIFE FORCE. “We ask that anyone who can donate blood please do so to help not only our trauma patients, but also cancer patients, new mothers and several other critical need patients in the community.”
Blood donors can schedule an appointment by calling 800-962-0628, visiting bloodassurance.org/schedule, or by texting BAGIVE to 999777. Platelet donors can schedule by calling their local Blood Assurance center. Contact info for centers can be found online at bloodassurance.org/contact-blood-assurance or by calling 800-962-0628.
Blood Assurance is offering special giveaways that change each day in July for all donors, including $10 Chipotle, Starbucks and Papa John’s gift cards. All donors are automatically entered to win a Yeti cooler each week in July and high school donors are entered to win a MacBook Pro the week of July 19-25. For more information, visit www.bloodassurance.org/july2021.
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.