INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Blood Center is issuing an urgent plea to help fill their shelves because their blood supplies are running urgently low, putting hospitals and patients in jeopardy.
There is a critical need for O-negative blood, which the center says they are currently completely out of.
O-negative is the only universal blood type, meaning any patient can receive it no matter what their type.
On a given day the Indiana Blood Center says they have about 1,700 to 2,000 units of blood on their shelves, but because of the long holiday weekend, their numbers are running below level.
“Sitting here today with no units of O-negative and very few units of other blood types, that puts our hospitals in jeopardy, it puts patients in jeopardy,” said Andrea Fagan with the Indiana Blood Center. “The health of our community is at risk because we don’t have those units that are so needed and we can’t in the moment reproduce those units. It is the blood on the shelves today that will help a patient tomorrow.”
The Blood Center accepts walk-in donors or you can schedule your appointment online.
The four major blood types are:
- Type A
- Type B
- Type AB
- Type O
No matter where you are in central Indiana, there should be an Indiana Blood Center location nearby.
- Avon - Hendricks Regional Health YMCA, 301 Satori Parkway
- Carmel - 726 Adams Street, Suite 150
- Columbus - 1706 Hawcreek Avenue (adjacent to Columbus Regional Health)
- Downtown Indianapolis - 3450 North Meridian Street
- Fishers - 7458 East Fishers Station Drive
- Greenwood - 8739 South U.S. Highway 31
- Lafayette - 2200 Elmwood Avenue, Suite D-16
- Muncie - 1609 West McGalliard Road
- Terre Haute - 2021 South Third Street
The American Red Cross has also issued an emergency call for blood and platelet donors after they received about 61,000 fewer donations during the months of May and June than normal.
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