Stanford Blood Center Has Urgent Need for All Blood Types

August 13, 2019
Attention News Desk: Press Release (for immediate release)
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ross Coyle | 650-725-3804
rcoyle@stanford.edu

STANFORD, Calif. — Bay Area residents are being asked to come out and donate all blood types at Stanford Blood Center (SBC) to meet the immediate and ongoing needs of local hospitals.

“Because of a drop in donations over the summer and higher than normal blood usage, we have a critically low inventory of blood products and need to replenish the blood supply to sustainable levels,” says SBC spokesperson Ross Coyle. “It’s the blood that we have readily available that allows us to save a life at a moment’s notice. So, we’re urging the community to please consider donating as soon and as regularly as they can.”

While SBC has not received requests from our partner hospitals or sister blood centers for urgent support following the recent shooting tragedies, it is extremely important that we maintain a strong inventory so we can be prepared to help when an emergency arises. Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes and, right now, someone in the hospital needs your blood type.

“In the past two weeks, patients at our local partner hospitals required more than 1,350 units of red blood cells, including over 170 units of O negative (O-) red blood cells (RBCs),” said Dr. Tho Pham, Chief Medical Officer at Stanford Blood Center. “In addition, we supported five cardiovascular patients who required close to 138 blood products, as well as multiple emergency and trauma patients who used more than 150 units of RBCs.”

Donors are encouraged to make an appointment at one of three donation center locations in Campbell, Menlo Park, or Mountain View. There are also a number of mobiles open to the public through the end of the month, including drives in Cupertino, Milpitas, and San Jose. Anyone who donates at a center or mobile through August 31 will receive a coupon for a free regular-size Jersey Mike’s sub. Appointments can be scheduled online at stanfordbloodcenter.org or by calling 888-723-7831 for same-day appointments.

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Stanford Blood Center (SBC) is an independent, community blood center that supplies blood products and testing services to multiple Bay Area hospitals and is a recognized leader in the fields of transfusion and transplantation medicine. SBC was created at the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1978 to meet the complex transfusion and transplant needs of Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, as well as provide clinical trial services and specialized blood products for researchers. Today, the center remains locally-focused, serving community hospitals, patients and donors, while contributing to research and advancement that impact the world at large. More information is available at stanfordbloodcenter.org.