Blood supply is reaching critical lows as the American Red Cross nears completion of its Missing Types Campaign.
The Red Cross is calling for donations following what they report as a “difficult Fourth of July week” due to fewer blood drives taking place than an average week. According to the Red Cross, this has led to a shortage of more than 24,000 blood donations to close out the month of June.
As mentioned the Red Cross Missing Types campaign is drawing to a close. The campaign utilizes the assistance of businesses and organizations — both local and national — who develop custom signage and materials with the letters A, B and O removed to draw attention to the need for A,B and O donations. Josh Murray of the American Red Cross says the campaign has succeeded in raising awareness during what is considered a difficult time for donation collections.
Murray says while the donation numbers tend do dip around this time of year the need for blood does not. According to Murray the need for blood becomes more prevalent due to the number of outdoor activities and travel increasing the chances of accidents which would require blood transfusions.
If you would like to sign up to donate or organize a blood drive visit Redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-Red Cross.
