The local blood supply remains critically low and Community Blood Bank is looking for willing donors.

“The Community Blood Bank needs blood donations from local blood donors now to help boost the blood supply for our community,” according to a release from Mobile Drive Coordinator Shari Jerman. “The current blood supply levels are critically low and can only be replenished with donations from volunteer blood donors.”

“The need for blood never stops and there is no substitute for blood when it is needed for a patient,” Jerman said. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to add an additional stress on the already strained blood supply. Due to the ongoing pandemic, around 30 percent of the Community Blood Bank’s blood drive partners are forced to cancel their routine blood drives.”

“It’s imperative we continue to make up for those lost units of blood,” Jerman said. “These cancellations are forcing us to stretch our donor base very thin. In addition to our current donors, we need new donors and people who have not donated in a while to come give blood at the blood drives that are able to go on as planned to help restore the local blood supply to adequate levels.”

All donors will be automatically entered into weekly drawings for $100 home improvement gift cards.

There will be two drives in Warren County this week:

¯ Wednesday, March 21 – 2 to 6 p.m. at Hertel & Brown Physical Therapy, 2 Farm Colony Drive; and

¯ Thursday, April 1 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Warren General Hospital, Conference Room B.

Appointments are encouraged to help adhere to pandemic safety protocols.

Those looking to schedule appointments may call Jerman at (814) 688-3696.