The Blood Bank of Delmarva issues a call for blood donors following Hurricane Milton.
The Blood Bank’s Tony Prado said they try to maintain a seven-day supply of each blood type for hospitals on the Delmarva Peninsula.
Right now, they’re at three days supply for blood – and platelets are even less, at one day’s supply.
Prado said that even if there are requests from Florida for blood product, they don't currently have enough supply to help.
That’s why the Blood Bank is reach out to the public now, Prado said.
“The interest is out there, and hopefully people will act on their willingness to help out in a situation like this, a tragedy. Maybe the silver lining is we can get to a point where we can send product to Florida.”
America’s Blood Centers issued a nationwide alert for local centers to try increasing donations in case centers in Florida need extra supply following the hurricane.
“We can empathize with the folks in Florida in that regard, and we would love to help similar to the way we did a number of years ago with one of the hurricanes that ravaged the great state of Texas. We're trying to prepare. We're hoping for the best and preparing for the worst,” Prado said.
Prado said 62% of the US population is eligible to give blood, but only 3% actually do.
It’s the Blood Bank’s goal, he added, to inspire people to get out, donate and help bolster local blood and blood product supply.
The Blood Bank is trying to make it easy, Prado said – it has six donor sites through Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, and there are blood drives happening on a daily basis.
