Baltimore region's blood supply hit an annual low. Blood donations are typically slow in January but the need picks up with surgeries back on schedule after the holidays. Types O and B seem to be particularly low.
Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein called blood donation "a very thin red line that connects a lot of people in the community". He also stated that as a physician, it is a very horrible moment when you think that blood may not be available.
Blood can not be manufactured in a lab, it has to be given by people. Premature babies require blood donations in order to live, trauma victims need blood so they don't die, cancer victims require blood sometimes because of very toxic therapies, and that is only a few of the reasons blood is so desperately needed.
To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 800-GIVE-LIFE
