Rhode Island Blood Center Faces First Blood Supply Emergency Of 2024

RHODE ISLAND — The Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC) declared this year's first blood emergency Monday, emphasizing a critical need for types O-plus and O-negative blood types.

According to blood center officials, blood donations in recent weeks are "hundreds short" of what is needed for patients in the Ocean State. RIBC officials said its type-O inventory is at its lowest since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Typically, the center hopes to have a five-to-seven-day supply of blood at all times. But according to RIBC officials, the current supply of types, O-positive, O-negative, and B-negative is just two-to-three days.

For those that wish to help during the blood emergency, the RIBC accepts blood donations daily at the following locations:

• Providence Donor Center
• Warwick Donor Center
• Aquidneck Donor Center, Middletown
• South County Donor Center, Narragansett
• Woonsocket Donor Center.

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