Our Blood Institute (OBI) is issuing an urgent call for type O blood donors as supplies of both O-positive and O-negative blood remain at critically low levels following the holiday season. The shortage comes at a time when hospitals and emergency responders rely heavily on type O blood to treat trauma patients and those experiencing life-threatening emergencies.

Type O blood plays a vital role in emergency medicine, with two groups of donors having a particularly lifesaving impact: O-positive and O-negative donors.

O-positive donors, often referred to as “Gold Donors,” are essential to emergency response efforts. Their blood is commonly used as low-titer O whole blood, which is carried on ambulances and medical helicopters for immediate transfusions before patients ever reach a hospital. These donations are critical during the first “golden hour” following a severe injury, when rapid intervention can mean the difference between life and death.

Whole blood from O-positive donors contains red blood cells, plasma and platelets together, allowing medical teams to provide comprehensive treatment when seconds matter. This blood is used for rapid stabilization in the field, during transport, in emergency rooms and during definitive trauma surgeries to repair severe injuries.

The appeal comes during National Blood Donor Month, a time set aside to recognize the lifesaving importance of blood donation and to encourage new and returning donors to give. OBI is urging all eligible type O donors to schedule a donation now to help maintain a stable blood supply for hospitals, air ambulances and emergency responders across the region.

According to OBI, this post-holiday shortage has become a troubling pattern. For the past three years, the organization has entered emergency appeal status during late December and early January as donation appointments decline due to travel and school breaks, even though patient needs remain constant.

“We’re asking group O individuals, both those who are donors and those who should be, to make time to give now,” Armitage said. “Your donation helps ensure blood is available on ambulances, in emergency rooms and in operating rooms, where it just might save you, your loved one or a friend.”

Anyone who is healthy and 16 years old or older is eligible to donate blood. The donation process typically takes about an hour, and a single donation can save up to three lives. Appointments can be scheduled online at obi.org or by calling 877-340-8777, and walk-ins are also welcome.

Donors must meet minimum weightrequirements, provide photo identification and, for 16-year-olds, submit signed parental permission.

Our Blood Institute is the sixth-largest independent blood center in the nation, operating 17 donor centers across Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. The nonprofit organization provides blood to more than 240 hospitals, medical facilities and air ambulance services throughout the region.