OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Our Blood Institute is sounding the alarm, saying Oklahoma’s blood supply is at a critical level.
On Wednesday, OBI declared an emergency blood shortage after O-negative inventory fell to just 65 units systemwide.
In other words, hospitals and emergency services across the state have a less than one-day supply.
“We are declaring an emergency blood shortage. What that means is that we do not have enough blood on hand at this moment to support our hospitals in our communities, and that is a very, very scary thing. It’s not something we ever want to do,” said Jacklyn Chappell, public relations manager at Our Blood Institute. “It’s a last resort to go to the public and say, ‘We don’t have enough. The only way we are going to have enough is if you come in and answer our call."”
OBI serves Oklahoma, Arkansas, and parts of Texas- so those 65 units are supposed to go to help hospitals across all three states.
“One terrible car accident, one mass traumatic incident could take up all of those units,” Chappell said.
OBI says at this point, they do not have a safety net.
They have reached out to other blood centers but have been turned away because those centers are also critically low on supplies of O-negative blood.
OBI is extremely low on O-negative and B-negative blood, but they are asking for all blood types to come to a donor center.
