The American Red Cross is asking donors to roll up their sleeves after declaring an emergency blood shortage caused by a sharp decline in donations during June. The organization says its blood supply dropped nearly 25 percent, creating a growing gap between available blood and hospital demand. The shortage is especially critical for platelets, O-positive blood, and B-negative blood.
Blood Assurance is urging area residents to donate blood as local hospitals continue using blood faster than donations are coming in ahead of the Independence Day holiday.
From today through July 7, all eligible blood donors will receive a $40 e-gift card that can be redeemed at a variety of participating retailers, including grocery stores and gas stations.
The nonprofit says donations often decline during holiday weeks because of travel and vacation schedules, while hospitals must remain prepared for emergencies and trauma patients. Blood Assurance reports it has recently had less than a one-day supply of blood, platelets, and plasma, well below the recommended two- to three-day inventory needed to meet patient demand.
Blood Assurance is the primary blood supplier for Atrium Health Floyd and AdventHealth Redmond, meaning local donations directly benefit patients in Northwest Georgia.
Type O donors have an opportunity to earn even more. Those enrolled in Blood Assurance’s Hero Club can receive a $50 gift card for a double red cell donation. Combined with the current promotion, eligible donors could receive up to $90 for a single donation.
Appointments can be scheduled at bloodassurance.org, by calling 800-962-0628, or by texting BAGIVE to 999777.
The American Red Cross is urging blood and platelet donors to make appointments now as hospitals work to maintain a reliable blood supply during the busy summer season.
Residents will have an opportunity to help save lives and support local patients during an upcoming blood drive hosted by the Chattooga County Emergency Management Agency.
The American Red Cross is urging eligible donors to schedule blood donation appointments as an alarming decline in donations threatens to impact the nation’s blood supply heading into the busy summer months.
An Armuchee Elementary School teacher who survived a life-changing crash is now using her story to encourage others to donate blood.
The American Red Cross is encouraging donors to give blood now to help hospitals and transfusion centers remain prepared to care for patients in need.
Officials say the combination of warmer weather, outdoor activities, and spring travel can disrupt regular donation routines, leading to a drop in available blood products. Even small changes in schedules can have a significant impact on the blood supply.
Donors of all blood types, including those giving for the first time, are urged to make an appointment in the coming days or weeks.
To help encourage donations, the Red Cross is offering incentives for those who give. Individuals who donate between April 13 and April 30, 2026, will receive a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice. Those who donate from May 1 through May 17, 2026, will receive a $20 Amazon gift card by email.
Appointments can be scheduled by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS, or using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
Blood Assurance says several days of heavy hospital usage have pushed its supply of O-positive and O-negative blood to critical levels, while platelet supplies are also nearing critical status.
The organization says there is an emergency need for donors as soon as possible, especially those with Type O blood.
The need comes as the region moves into severe weather season, a time when trauma cases can rise and put even more pressure on local blood supplies. Blood Assurance says rebuilding the supply quickly is especially important to help meet patient needs.
Blood Assurance is the primary supplier of blood and blood products for Atrium Health Floyd and AdventHealth Redmond in Rome, and it also supplies Cartersville Medical Center. Donations made at Blood Assurance donor centers and blood drives in Rome and Cartersville help support local patients across the area.
Eligible donors are encouraged to make an appointment as soon as possible, although walk-ins are also being accepted.
To schedule a donation, visit Blood Assurance online, call 800-962-0628, or text BAGIVE to 999777.
The American Red Cross is urging donors to help the national blood supply recover from a severe shortage by making an appointment to give blood during March.
As an added thank-you during Red Cross Month, the Red Cross says successful blood, platelet, or plasma donations made March 1 through March 31, 2026 will come with two incentives: free A1C testing (one result per calendar year) and a $15 Amazon gift card delivered by email.
The American Red Cross is asking people across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia to schedule a blood donation appointment in the final days of 2025 to help keep the blood supply strong heading into 2026. The need is especially high right now for Type O, A negative, and B negative donors.
