Urgent need for O Negative blood

Posted by Press Release on February 12, 2016

As the coldest weather of the season strikes the Delmarva this weekend, Blood Bank of Delmarva is issuing an urgent call for blood donors, especially those who have O Negative blood. O Negative is the universal blood type that can be transfused to any patient in a critical situation when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type.

“Heavier than normal usage and the fact that many donors have cancelled appointments have lead to the need for us to once again appeal to the public. We need donors and we need them now. Blood donations are not where we need them to be and we are in critical need of blood to serve our local hospitals and their patients” said Michael Waite, Director of Marketing and Community Relations for Blood Bank of Delmarva. “We are also requesting people with all other blood types to donate if possible, but the most critical right now is O Negative. We must have a certain number of O Negs on our hospital shelves to meet demand and to be prepared in case of an emergency,” he said in a press release.

Blood Bank of Delmarva has five permanent donor centers in Christiana, Wilmington, Dover, Chadds Ford and in Salisbury, Md.

Because of the critical need walk-in donors are welcome. Donors who prefer to schedule an appointment can visit www.DelmarvaBlood.org or call 1 888 8-BLOOD-8. Scheduling is also available via the Blood Bank’s free mobile app.