Calling All Blood Donors! INOVA Needs You!

INOVA needs blood and has issued a call for blood donors.

Via Old Town Alexandria Patch

Inova Blood Donor Services is calling for eligible blood donors to visit their local blood center or mobile blood drive to donate blood or platelets as soon as possible.

Donors may schedule an appointment, or find a blood drive or donor center in proximity by visiting www.inova.org/donateblood or calling 1-866-BLOODSAVES, or 866-256-6372.

"The inventory of blood at Inova has been severely impacted by a lower than normal blood donor participation rate attributable to an unseasonably mild early spring coupled with summer activities and vacations,” said Inova Blood Donor Services Director Terri Craddock. “This has lead to critically low inventory levels of blood and platelets, leaving hospitals vulnerable in response to emergency patients as well as challenged in meeting in or out-patient procedures requiring the use of blood and blood products."

Inova must collect daily approximately 250 units to keep up with demand, yet collections have dropped to between 150 to 200 units daily. All blood types are needed, but especially O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative in order to meet patient demand this summer.

Blood testing can take 24 to 48 hours before the blood is available to patients.