There’s a critical blood shortage in Coast hospitals, Red Cross says

There’s a critical need for type O blood in the U.S., according to the American Red Cross, and the shortage has affected local Coast hospitals.

Right now, the Red Cross has less than a two-day supply of type O blood available for emergency rooms.

That means six units of type O blood are available for every 100,000 people, according to a Red Cross release.

Type O blood can be transfused to patients with any blood type, and is used in emergencies when there isn’t enough time to determine a patient’s blood type.

The Red Cross is asking for donations to help increase their supply of blood.

Here are the dates, locations and times of upcoming blood drives in our area:

• May 14, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 777 Beach Blvd
• May 15, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., C-Spire Promenade, 3822 Promenade Pkwy

• May 22, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Golden Nugget, 151 Beach Blvd

• May 22, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Beau Rivage Casino Bus Lobby, 875 Beach Blvd

• May 22, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Exit Prestige Luxury Realty, 2598 Pass Rd, Suite B

For more dates, go to the Red Cross website.

This story was originally published May 15, 2019 at 1:16 PM.