Bloodworks Northwest is issuing an urgent appeal for donors after Pacific Northwest inventories of type O blood dipped alarmingly low, to an emergency level, or one-day supply. Normal operating inventory is a four-day supply.
For the safety and care of future patients, Bloodworks Northwest urges blood donations over the next two weeks at any one of Bloodworks Northwest’s 12 locations, including one in Lynnwood, 19723 Highway 99. Click here to make a blood donation appointment at the Lynnwood location.
Type O negative blood is considered the universal blood type and can be transfused to any patient suffering from trauma when they are rushed to a hospital with no time to type that person’s blood. Approximately 48 percent of the population has type O blood.
The call for donors in the Northwest echoes data showing a nationwide blood shortage.
Bloodworks Northwest typically expects donations to fall by about 15 percent during summer — with schools and colleges on break and donors on vacation. This year, however, the drop off has been closer to 25 percent.
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