Oklahoma Blood Institute In Need Of Donations

NewsOn6.com

UNDATED -- Oklahoma Blood Institute is asking for your help. They report they need blood and lots of it.

Officials say supplies are so low, they opened on Easter Sunday to let people donate.

Hospital patients have used an unusually high amount of blood in the last couple of weeks, leaving just a two-day supply.

OBI officials say your blood donation could help someone in Green Country.

"Altogether we cover about 150 hospitals here in Oklahoma and we cover this northeast corner, probably 30 hospitals that we can deliver to at any time," said William Ely, of Oklahoma Blood Institute.

All healthy adults, 17 and older, are encouraged to give blood at a donor center or area blood drive within the next few days.

All blood types are needed. Whole blood can be donated every 56 days. Those with O Negative blood types are especially asked to give, since they comprise only nine percent of the population but have the blood type that can be universally used until the blood type of a patient in urgent need can be determined.  

Schedule of upcoming Northeastern Oklahoma blood drives:

Monday, April 5 (4-7 p.m.) Bounce-U "In Honor of Baby Emma Routh," Tulsa

Monday, April 5 (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) Broken Arrow Rotarians, Broken Arrow

Tuesday, April 6 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah

Tuesday, April 6 (Noon-5:30 p.m.) Sam Hider Clinic, Jay

Wednesday, April 7 (3-7 p.m.) Wilson Schools, Coalton

Thursday, April 8 (11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) Oklahoma School For The Blind, Muskogee

Thursday, April 8 (noon-4pm) Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow Campus

Friday, April 9 (10:30am-3pm) Bacone College, Muskogee Campus

Friday, April 9 (10am-4pm) SouthCrest Hospital, Tulsa