Blood emergency declared in Nebraska amid dangerously low supplies

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska Community Blood Bank announced a blood emergency on Thursday, saying supplies are dangerously low.

NCBB is blaming the poor donor turnout on a summer slowdown and back-to-school activities.

It also says a prolonged 50% decrease in youth and first-time donors is making the situation even worse.

All blood types are needed, but types O+, O-, B- are critically low, along with platelets.

NCBB Vice President Kathy Geist said, “The days of having a blood drive at your place of work, your place of worship, every school and college have drastically changed due to the pandemic, and we need community members to find a donor center or a community blood drive to make a donation. It is critical that our community come out in response to our blood emergency to help us rebuild our inventory and ensure that we have life-saving blood for patients in our hospitals. You never know when you might need blood, so pay it forward by making a donation today.”

You can head to this website to schedule a donation and learn more about supporting NCBB’s efforts.