FRESNO (KMJ) — It’s been described as “critically important” that there’s enough supply of o-negative blood in the Central Valley.
But supplies are way down and with a lot of holiday travel anticipated over the next couple of days, and with an increased number of people on the roads, comes an increased risk of injuries and accidents on the roads.
“As we go into the holiday it’s so important that we have not only an abundant but a truly plentiful blood supply”, says Leslie Botos is with the Central California Blood Center.
She says people with O-negative blood are heavily encouraged to come down and donate as their blood can be used on anyone.
“We’ve dropped down to 9% of what we need for total O-negative blood to on the shelves of hospitals and ready for the Thanksgiving holiday”.
The need for blood is expected to spike as we go through the days surrounding Thanksgiving. If you’d like to donate centers can be found in Fresno and Visalia.
The Fresno centers can be found on 4343 Herndon Ave, 1196 E. Shaw (Suite 102), and 1010 E. Perrin. All are open between 9am and 6pm every weekday.
The blood center in Visalia on 1515 S. Mooney Boulevard is also open between 9am and 6pm every weekday. All four centers will be closed Thanksgiving, but open every other day.
Blood donation takes less than one hour to complete. Donors must be in good general health, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be at least 17 years old (16 years old with written parental consent). Senior citizens are encouraged to donate, as there is no upper age limit.
The Central California Blood Center says donors should eat a good meal and drink plenty of water within 4 hours prior to their donation.
The group is the sole provider of blood and blood products for the 30 hospitals in Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Kings and Mariposa Counties, and they say they need between 5,000 to 6,000 pints of blood a month to meet demand.
