Boston Hospitals Need Your Blood Donations

Blood donor arm image via Shutterstock.

After the influx of blood donations after the Boston Marathon bombings, you may have thought that area hospitals had stores of blood for months, but the reality is that the donations didn’t last long. The Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital announced Thursday that they are currently experiencing an extreme shortage of blood products.

The current blood donations shortage at Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women’s is expected to last the remainder of the summer, according to an announcement on Dana-Farber’s website. Their program, specifically, is experiencing an extreme shortage of platelets and type O-negative blood, but all eligible blood and platelet donors of all blood types are asked to consider making an appointment to donate blood as soon as possible.

Also according to the announcement, the blood is needed for Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women’s patients who are undergoing treatments for cancer, as well as accident victims, transplant recipients, and many other types of patients who rely on transfusions to control bleeding. Volunteer donors are the only sources of blood products for these patients.

Your blood donation will likely help as many as three patients because the donation will include red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. To donate blood, you just be at least 17 years old, 110 pounds or heavier, and in generally good health. If you are pregnant, have gotten a tattoo in the past 12 months, have had a routine dental cleaning within 48 hours, have traveled to a malaria-prone country the past year, or feel sick within 72 hours of your appointment, you will be asked to reschedule.

To set up an appointment to donate, call 617-632-3206, or email blooddonor@partners.org.