Urgent Plea for Blood Donors - July 2012

from AMERICAN RED CROSS dot-org website (July 30, 2012):

Blood donations through the American Red Cross are down in the first five months of 2012 compared to the same period last year. And, there is only about half the amount of readily available blood in the Red Cross inventory at this time. Donations of blood types O positive, O negative, A negative and B negative are urgently needed.
Right now hospital deliveries of these blood types are outpacing donations. These blood types are most in demand because they can be potentially transfused to Rh positive and negative patients. It’s the blood on the shelves that helps save patient lives.
Serving patients at more than 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers throughout the country, the Red Cross’ mission is to ensure a safe and adequate blood supply through voluntary donations. To fulfill this, the Red Cross needs the generous support of eligible blood donors now.