The Puget Sound Blood Center has identified an issue with the collection bags the centers use for apheresis – a process that allows donors to give an extra large donation of either platelets or red blood cells. As a result, the centers are unable to collect double red cell donations.

While the Blood Center is working with the manufacturer and anticipates a solution within the next several days, help is needed from every donor. This issue is especially impacting our O Negative supply, which is often used in traumas and urgent scenarios when a patient’s blood type may not yet be known. It is also used in cases when the blood inventory for a patient’s blood type is critically low. Unlike other blood types, O Negative blood cells are essentially unmarked; therefore, a recipient’s body will not recognize it as foreign and reject it. This shortage of O Negative means the Blood Center needs an ample supply of all blood types on hand.

The Premera Blue Cross Bloodmobile will be in front of Building 4 on Thursday and Friday, April 19 and 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
You can schedule a donation appointment here. You can find a map of the Premera Blue Cross campus (official address is 7001 220th St. S.W.) here.

For questions regarding medical eligibility, contact the Puget Sound Blood Center’s Scheduling Specialists at schedule@psbc.org or call 1-800-DONATE-1.