New York Blood Center In Short Supply, In Need Of Donations

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York Blood Center on Wednesday declared a blood emergency and asked people to donate.

The blood center said recent national tragedies are reminders that an adequately-stocked blood supply is necessary when communities are hit with incidents involving multiple injuries.

"This year, there's been significant demand for blood in our community, and we have fallen in a number of our blood types to a pretty critical level," blood center vice president Rob Pervis told 1010 WINS.

In order to maintain a safe blood supply, a seven-day inventory of all types of blood must be replenished on a continual basis, the blood center said.

"As an example, O negative is down to about the two-day range, and it's just too low for us, and we need to turn that around," blood center vice president Rob Pervis told 1010 WINS.

O negative blood donors are considered "universal," and their blood type is needed most readily in trauma situations in emergency rooms, the blood center said.

"If everybody that hears this and has either been donors or is interested in being a donor responds, we'll get the inventory back in shape very quickly and won't have to worry as we proceed through the summer," Pervis said.

To donate blood or to find out how to organize a blood drive, the blood center asks people to call (800) 933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org/blood.