HOW TO HELP: Critical need for blood in wake of tornadoes, long holiday weekend in Dayton

Credit: Contributed by Mark Pompilio

Credit: Contributed by Mark Pompilio

An urgent call for blood donations has been made in light of Monday’s tornadoes and a busy holiday weekend at local hospitals.

The Community Blood Center has a critical need for type O positive blood, said Mark Pompilio, a spokesman for the center.

>> RELATED: 1 dead from Celina tornado, over 50 storm-related injuries reported at Dayton-area hospitals

“That’s the classic perfect storm when you have a holiday plus something else,” he said. “Holiday plus weather. I’ve seen it before.”

One person has died and at least 50 people are being treated at local hospitals as a result of the tornadoes and thunderstorms that swept through the Miami Valley late Monday night.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that EF3 tornadoes hit Montgomery County in the Trotwood area at 140 miles per hour and in Beavercreek in Greene County.

>> EF3 tornadoes confirmed in Montgomery County, Beavercreek

HOW TO HELP

The center asks that people with O type blood to donate blood at the Dayton Community Blood Center, 349 South Main St.

Donors can also visit www.DonorTime.com or call 1-800-388-GIVE to schedule the best time to donate.

Donation requirements and upcoming blood drive sites are listed below.

>> DAYTON TORNADO RELIEF: Everything you need to know after the storm

Pompilio said all appointments today have been booked, but even with such a good response, much more blood is needed to help fill the critical shortage of blood.

“There was a lot of usage this weekend and we had a really good (blood collection) turnout Friday,” he said.

A shooting, car accidents and a “litany  of other” medical traumas during the Memorial Day weekend led to a  busy weekend at many of the 25 hospitals and health centers in the center’s 15-county service area in Ohio and Indiana, Pompolio explained.

There is a three-day supply for O positive blood, which the Center considers a critical level.

There is also an increased need for A negative blood and B negative blood, he said.

To compound that, the center lost a blood collection day because it was closed for the holiday Monday.

>> RELATED: Local restaurants hit hard by tornado damage

“There were not a lot of blood drives scheduled this week because of the holiday weekend,” he said.

Several drives have been canceled due to issues related to the weather including the drive scheduled for today at the Aley United Methodist Church in Beavercreek

Pompilio said all blood types are being accepted, but there is a special need for O positive blood,  the universal blood type for all positive RH factor (O, A, B, and AB positive) patients.

Type O positive is the most common blood type.

BLOOD DRIVES THIS WEEK

Tuesday, May 28 

Our Lady of Good Hope Church

6 S. Third St., Miamisburg

1 p.m. – 7  p.m.

Shawnee Hills Baptist Church

3490 Jasper Road, Jamestown

3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 29

First Presbyterian Church in Troy

20 S. Walnut St., Troy

2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 1 

Oakwood Community Center

105 Patterson Road, Oakwood

8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Sulphur Grove United Methodist Church

7505 Taylorsville Road, Huber Heights

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Dave Knapp Ford Lincoln, Inc.

500 Wagner Ave., Greenville

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS TO DONATE: 

Donors must  provide a photo ID that includes their full name.

Past donors are also asked to bring their donor ID card.

Donors must be at least 17 years of age or 16 years old with parental consent available at www.givingblood.org or at CBC branch and blood drive locations.

Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good physical health

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