A regional blood bank has issued an emergency alert because of a donation shortage.
Solvita, formerly Community Blood Center, is struggling to meet blood demand from local hospitals.
“The gap between what we are collecting and what hospitals are ordering has become an emergency,” said Tracy Morgan, Solvita’s vice president of donor services, in a news release. “Solvita needs 350 blood donors a day to keep up with local demands. Recent collections have been closer to 175.”
The combination of high usage and a midsummer decline in collections has depleted the supply, pushed type O blood into a critical need, and exhausted other blood types.
In Richmond, two Solvita drives are planned in the coming days. Fellowship Church of Richmond will be open from 3-6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, at 655 Salisbury Road S., and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is assisting from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 17, at 800 N. A St.
All registered walk-in donors at Solvita’s Dayton center (349 S. Main St.) will get a $10 e-gift card or a $10 Kroger card, plus a beach towel.
Schedule appointments at 937-461-3220 or donortime.com.
All who register to donate through Solvita in August will be entered to win two tickets to Taylor Swift’s Nov. 3 performance in Indianapolis.
In addition, American Red Cross hopes to recruit donors, especially Type O. All will receive a $20 Amazon.com gift card.
Local Red Cross drives will be from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, at Klein Realty Co., 33 N. Eighth St., and from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, at Richmond Senior Recreation Center, 1600 S. Second St.
Registration is available at RedCrossBlood.org or calling 800-RED CROSS.
A version of this article appeared in the August 14 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.