Medic Blood Center In Critical Need For O-Negative

The Medic Regional Blood Center is putting out the call for donors, especially those with O negative blood. Kristy Altman with Medic says that their supply of O negative blood has dwindled to just two days worth due to some recent high demand. O negative blood is the most common blood type used for transfusions where the blood type is not known. O negative donors are often called ‘universal donors’ because anyone can receive the red blood cells from their donations. Although about 8% of the population has O negative blood, it accounts for around 13% of hospital requests for red blood cells. While O-negative donors are the universal donor, they can only receive O-negative blood.

Medic’s Mobile Blood Center will be in Morristown Friday 10/6 at Food City on Andrew Johnson Hwy from noon-6. On Saturday 10/7, they will be at Colbach Harley Davidson in Morristown from 9am-3pm. Next Monday (10/9) the Mobile Blood Center will be back in Newport at Walgreen’s from noon-6. You can go online at medicblood.org to make an appointment to give blood at one of those locations.