Bay Area blood banks are calling on the public to donate blood in light of a nationwide shortage.
The American Red Cross is encouraging donors of all blood types to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Type O blood and platelets are particularly in need.
The situation has become so dire that the organization requires more than 1,000 additional donations each day to sustain life-saving transfusions, according to the organization. Hospitals are experiencing abnormally high numbers of emergency room visits, organ transplants and surgeries.
“Donors who give now will help stock the shelves for the rest of the summer season,” the Red Cross said in a press release.
The Stanford Blood Center is also in severe need of blood donations. According to the website, the center is in immediate need of all blood types. A donation center is located only two miles from campus at 445 Burgess Drive Suite #100, near downtown Menlo Park.
A Red Cross blood donation drive will be held in Redwood City at the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association at 2421 Broadway Street — just seven miles from campus — from 12 to 5 p.m. on July 28. The location is adjacent to the Redwood City Transit Center, which is accessible by Caltrain or bus from the Palo Alto Transit Center.
The closest Red Cross blood donation center open daily is the San Jose Blood Donation Center at 2731 North First Street, which is located 17 miles from campus.
Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people can donate blood. Donors must be 17 years old, or 16 with parental consent, and weigh at least 110 pounds. A driver’s license, a blood donation card or two other forms of identification are required to donate blood.
Both the Red Cross and the Stanford Blood Center are offering incentives for donors.
From now until July 31, Red Cross donors will be rewarded with a $10 Amazon gift card and automatically placed in a lottery for $5,000 of free gas and a trip for four to Cedar Point or Knott’s Berry Farm.
At Stanford, donors on Mondays will be given a $10 Target gift card, and until July 31, all donors will receive a “Grateful for Life” tie-dye shirt.
Appointments can be scheduled through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, the Red Cross blood donation website or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Appointments can be scheduled through the Stanford Blood Center online or by calling 888-723-7831.