Summer usually is a “slump season” for blood donation and unfortunately this year is no exception, so Michigan Community Blood Centers is turning up the heat on recruitment efforts for all blood donors, especially for those with Type O blood.

“Both type O positive and O negative donors are urgently needed at all our donor centers and blood drives across the state,” explains Doug Klynstra, who heads recruitment and inventory operations in West Michigan. “Overall we are meeting and exceeding our blood collection goals but we also are issuing more blood to our hospitals this year than we did last year during the same period. And this is not an isolated problem – other community blood banks across the country are having a tough time, too, with inventories of type O blood being especially tight.”

Normally, community blood banks that temporarily have trouble sustaining a supply of a particular blood type can reach out for help to other blood centers across the nation, through the National Blood Exchange. But this year, “nobody has any type O blood to spare,” Klynstra says. “Everybody [other blood centers] seems to be issuing more blood to their hospitals while having a harder time recruiting enough donors.”

Meanwhile, 23 hospital facilities in 4 major regions of the state rely on Michigan Community Blood Centers for 100% of their regular blood supply.

“More than 1.5 million people live in the regions we serve,” Klynstra says. “All these people depend on us to make sure the blood they need will be available. We’re doing our best, but this is one of the toughest years I’ve seen.”

© Michigan Community Blood Centers