The Red Cross recently declared an emergency blood shortage just days into January, which is National Blood Donor Month. The organization had gotten as low as a three-day supply of type O blood. Suzanne Morrison is the Director or Laboratory Services at Piedmont Athens Regional and she manages the blood bank. She says blood donations can be placed in hospitals in as little as three to five days in many cases.
According to the Red Cross, someone needs blood every two seconds. The organizations says the number of U.S. blood donors has hit an all-time low, dropping by about 40% in the past 20 years.
Anyone 17 years old and at least 110 pounds may be eligible to donate blood. Visit redcrossblood.org, call 1-800-733-2767, or use the blood donor app to make an appointment. Donors of all blood types are needed.
