High national need and low donation rates have driven blood supplies to critical levels, according to medical services nonprofit Bloodworks Northwest.

Several types of blood, including both Type O positive and negative, have been bouncing between critical and emergency levels since late December, according to a news release.

“The pressure on our local blood supply has been building for weeks. The recent cold snap kept donors away, which came right after the holidays when blood supplies typically falter. And, Bloodworks is providing local hospitals with more Type O than is being donated locally, which depletes the supply,” said Bloodworks CEO Curt Bailey in the news release. “Our community needs to act quickly to stabilize the blood supply and to ensure patients experiencing cancer can receive transfusions, aren’t delayed, and our trauma centers can respond to emergencies.”

Locally, Grays Harbor currently hosts two locations for donations on specific days: at Summit Pacific Wellness Center in Elma on March 15, May 31, July 26, Sept. 27 and Dec. 6, and at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aberdeen on March 30, June 22, Aug. 31 and Nov. 23. The nearest full-time, permanent donation spot to Grays Harbor is in Olympia.

“We are working on getting more spots. But we need to find donors to fill those spots,” said Jenni McCoy, community engagement liaison for Bloodworks for the region. “The one at Summit Pacific has done really well.”

COVID shuttered a lot of long-running donation spots, McCoy said, while Bloodworks has to balance the resources it has available against the donors signed up to give.

“We used to go (to Grays Harbor) pretty regularly,” McCoy said. “We’re just starting to do that again.”

The Food and Drug Administration also recently updated its guidance for blood donors, removing dated criteria that made it difficult for gay or bisexual men to donate, applying the same criteria for all donors of all genders or orientations, according to Bloodworks.

“If you’ve been putting off donating blood, now is the time to make an appointment,” Bailey said in the news release.

Bloodworks is also opening to partnering with local organizations for blood drives, McCoy said — the organization used to regularly hold blood drives with groups throughout the county before COVID. Contact information for setting up a blood drive event is available on the Bloodworks website, along with the ability to schedule an appointment, at https://www.bloodworksnw.org/ or at 800-398-7888.

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.