Urgent Need For All Blood Type Donations At Stanford Blood Center

STANFORD, CA — Stanford Blood Center has an urgent need for all blood types because of higher-than-expected blood usage at their partner hospitals and lower collections during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Donation centers are open in Campbell, Menlo Park and Mountain View. Mobile centers are also available in Palo Alto, San Jose and Sunnyvale. The blood center is seeking help with replenishing supply to “sustainable levels,” according to a news release Wednesday.

Those with O positive (O+) and O negative (O-) blood types are especially requested to donate.

Surgical volume at Stanford’s partner hospitals has increased by 15 percent this summer, according to Dr. Suchi Pandey, Chief Medical Officer at Stanford Blood Center. Nearly 650 patients, including more than 120 children, required over 2,300 units of blood products. More than 740 of those were O+ red blood cells.

“The pandemic has been a challenging time to collect blood, but it hasn’t slowed down the demand for blood products and currently, we have a number of open appointments,” said Stanford Blood Center Spokesperson Ross Coyle. “It’s the blood that we have readily available that allows us to save a life at a moment’s notice, so we’re urging the community to please consider donating this week.”

Anyone who registers to donate during September will get a coupon for a free regular-sized Jersey Mike’s sub sandwich. Appointments can be scheduled online at stanfordbloodcenter.org or by calling 888-723-7831 for same-day appointments.