Red Cross urgently seeks blood donations

MORNING HEADLINES | The American Red Cross is seeking immediate help in the Charleston area in getting people to donate blood. Summer is a critical time for the organization because the hot months are when donations typically decline, officials say.

“Every day, the Red Cross needs to collect about 12,000 blood donations and nearly 3,000 platelet donations to meet the needs of patients across the United States,” said Meaghan Silsby of the Lowcountry chapter of the Red cross. “One person signing up to save a life is really impactful.”

Red Cross leaders say people with Group O blood make up nearly half of the American population, but the O-Negative type is always in high demand as only 7% of the population is O-Negative.

People in the Charleston area can donate blood any day at the organization’s West Ashley or Mount Pleasant locations. The Lowcountry chapter serves 34 hospitals in the Charleston area.

Additionally, OneBlood, a nonprofit blood center serving much of the Southeast, is experiencing an emergency shortage of O-Negative and O-Positive blood. It also is urgently calling on people with these critical blood types to donate as soon as possible.

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Goings on around town

Our online events calendar has scores of events around the Lowcountry every day, making it the most detailed calendar of what’s happening in the area. Just click on “Events” above at right under the black toolbar. You’ll be amazed at what you find.