The national blood supply has dropped to a four-year summer low, and the American Red Cross says the West Chester Blood Donation Center at 1065 Andrew Drive needs donors of all blood types to walk through its doors.
Type O-positive blood has fallen below a one-day supply nationwide, prompting the Red Cross to limit distributions to hospitals, according to NHPR reporting. "We're at a four-year summer low. We're really trying to get donors to come in and donate," Dan Dowling, regional communications manager for the Red Cross of Northern New England, told NHPR on Aug. 10.
The crisis marks only the second time the Red Cross has declared a national blood supply emergency. The first was in January 2022. Thousands of donors responded after the late-July declaration, but vacations, back-to-school schedules and summer trauma season have kept supplies critically low, MyChesCo reported.
The Red Cross estimates that adding just three donors at each blood drive could stabilize supplies and protect patient care.
$20 Amazon gift card for August donors
Anyone who donates between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31 will receive a $20 Amazon gift card by email. The incentive replaces the Fandango movie ticket offer that ended July 31. Details are at RedCrossBlood.org/August.
West Chester donation center hours
The Andrew Drive center is open Monday through Thursday, 11:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 7:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-733-2767.
Upcoming West Chester and area blood drives
- Wednesday, Aug. 12, noon–5 p.m. — West Chester School District Administration Building, 782 Springdale Drive, Exton
- Thursday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. — Chester County Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway
- Friday, Aug. 14, 1–6 p.m. — West Whiteland Township Building, 101 Commerce Drive, Exton
- Sunday, Aug. 16, 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. — St. Monica's Roman Catholic Church, 63 Main Ave., Berwyn
- Friday, Aug. 21, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. — Paoli Hospital, 255 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli
- Tuesday, Aug. 25, noon–5 p.m. — First Presbyterian Church of West Chester, 130 W. Miner St.
- Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1–6 p.m. — St. Maximilian Kolbe School, 300 Daly Drive, West Chester
- Saturday, Aug. 29, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. — New Mosque, 1001 Pottstown Pike, West Chester
The Red Cross is also asking people who cannot donate to recruit eligible friends, relatives and coworkers to schedule appointments through the end of August.
