The Red Cross will host a blood drive in Hopkinsville Tuesday, and officials are asking the community to come out and donate.
Lou Zimmerman from the Red Cross said there is a severe blood shortage across the region as the number of trauma cases, organ transplants, and elective surgeries rise and deplete inventory.
Zimmerman added there is an emergency need for type O donations.
The Hopkinsville blood drive will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall of St. John’s United Methodist Church at 2808 South Virginia Street. Appointments can be scheduled online here or by calling 1-800-733-2767.
Zimmerman said the need for blood is constant, and only volunteer donors can fulfill the need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds, and most of us will need blood at some point in our lifetime.