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OneBlood Asks For Donations Before Irma Hits

OneBlood

is calling for blood donations ahead of Hurricane Irma.

The nonprofit blood bank has already sent 300 units of blood to help Hurricane Harvey victims, and this week it sent 100 units to Puerto Rico to prep for Irma.

OneBlood spokesman Pat Michaels said now it’s time for Florida to get ready.

“Now we’re gearing up for a possible impact in Florida, so we’re being proactive and asking people to donate now, as soon as possible, whatever blood type you have, we’ll be happy to see you,” Michaels said.

OneBlood is especially asking for Type O-negative and Type O-positive donors, as well as donations of plasma and platelets.

“Those are the top items we certainly are asking for because those are the ones that have an increased need in a situation like this,” Michaels said.

OneBlood provides blood products for more than 200 hospitals in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.

Copyright 2017 Health News Florida

Health News Florida reporter Abe Aboraya works for WMFE in Orlando. He started writing for newspapers in high school. After graduating from the University of Central Florida in 2007, he spent a year traveling and working as a freelance reporter for the Seattle Times and the Seattle Weekly, and working for local news websites in the San Francisco Bay area. Most recently Abe worked as a reporter for the Orlando Business Journal. He comes from a family of health care workers.
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