Community Blood Center of the Ozarks says nationwide blood shortage is not the case in the Ozarks

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The Community Blood Centers of the Ozarks says a nationwide blood shortage is not exactly happening in the Ozarks.

The American Red Cross this week asked Americans to roll up their sleeves. The nonprofit organization that supplies about 40% of U.S. blood and blood components is facing a shortage. The Red Cross says distribution to hospitals and medical centers far outpaces donations.

The CBCO is the sole nonprofit blood provider to over 40 hospitals in their Ozarks service area. Community blood providers, like CBCO, provide the majority of the blood in the US, around 60%. Local providers like them are not reliant on national providers. But they do help in the case of national emergencies and tragedies.

“Most states have their own local blood provider because hospitals want to know they are a priority when it comes to a safe and stable blood supply and are not dependent on a national provider who may often experience shortages and force the hospitals to make difficult choices on prioritizing the treatment of patients,” said Anthony Roberts, Executive Director of CBCO. “Our tagline is ‘Local Donors. Local Patients.’ and that’s because we believe in local donors rallying to help support the blood needs of their friends, family, and neighbors.”

CBCO encourages you to check with your local hospitals to see who provides their blood and go from there when choosing who to donate to.

For more information, go to www.cbco.org or call 417-227-5000. The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is the exclusive provider of blood, plasma, and platelets to patients at 44 area Ozark hospitals in southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas, and southeast Kansas. More than 50,000 donations of blood are required each year to meet the local transfusion needs of our friends and neighbors.

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