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Blood supplies throughout the nation are critically low, and our region is no exception. Miller-Keystone Blood Center along with Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) are asking for blood donors to roll up their sleeves to help those who need blood and blood components such as platelets.
“During October, we typically collect 4,550 units of blood for our community hospitals to treat accident/trauma victims, cancer patients, premature infants, burn victims and those undergoing surgical procedures,” says Marie Clemens, corporate director communications, Miller-Keystone. “Unfortunately, our current inventory is only 1,200 units of blood. That means elective surgeries may need to be postponed. We need all available blood donors to help our community hospitals by donating their lifesaving blood".
You can donate blood at an upcoming LVHN blood drive or at any Miller-Keystone location. Appointments are required to donate. For more information or to make an appointment, visit Giveapint.org.
Upcoming LVHN blood drives
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street, Oct. 26, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, Nov. 2, 7 a.m.–3 p.m.
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hazleton, Dec. 2, 12–5:30 p.m.
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg, Dec. 15, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Blood donation facts
- About 450 pints of blood are needed every day in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region served by Miller-Keystone Blood Center, supplier of blood products for LVHN and 28 other hospitals and health networks.
- O-negative blood, the universal blood type, is used to treat patients in emergency situations when hospital staff don’t have time to determine an individual’s blood type.
- O-positive is the most common blood type, and one in three people will need this type of blood transfusion.