Local blood donation centers are running low because of the winter storm.
All Hoxworth Blood Center locations were closed Monday due to road conditions.
"We do need to collect about 450 donations a day ... but Monday, we did have to close everything down," said Jen Howell, division director of marketing and communications for Hoxworth Blood Center. "So we're definitely feeling what National Blood Donor month [in January] is all about — the winter weather and the disruptions in collections."
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Five Hoxworth locations were open Tuesday: Anderson; Blue Ash; Fort Mitchell, Ky.; West Chester; and Western Hills. Howell says all seven centers are expected to be open starting Wednesday, and they’re working to reschedule mobile donation drives.
"Blood transfusion ... is the most common procedure in all hospitals, and every five minutes in the Tri-State, someone has a blood transfusion," Howell said.
Howell says you can donate whole blood, or take a little extra time to donate platelets.
"This is part of our urgent plea to our donors out there — and anyone who would like to be a part of this mission — is to come out and donate platelets," she said. "The last five days, and with having been closed on Monday, it instantly affects our inventory for all of our our local hospitals."
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The Versiti Blood Center of Ohio’s Dayton Community Blood Center also closed on Monday for only the third time in 20 years. It is back open Tuesday.
"Blood shortages aren't just statistics — they mean real lives hanging in the balance," said Tracy Morgan, vice president for donor services, in a statement. "When hospitals run out of blood, critical treatments are delayed, surgeries are postponed, and lives are at risk."
The organization said in a statement the most critical shortages are for A negative and O negative type blood.
