The CEO of Our Blood Institute said the lack of donations has blood supply in critically low levels.

“As CEO of Our Blood Institute, it is my responsibility to alert our wonderful friends that, after months of post-pandemic struggles, our red blood cell supply is drifting into failure,” wrote John Armitage, M.D., in a recent email.

“This difficulty has been worsening despite our continuing, exhausting efforts to correct course. Sadly, our region has finally reached a critical breaking point that other parts of the country have been experiencing since mid-2022.”

The email was sent in May and was seeking new drives and donors by early June.

“Without a powerful response, we are likely to see consequences such as postponed elective surgeries, delayed transfusions, and the dividing of blood bags (and thus care) to stretch stocks,” Armitage said.

“Our strained healthcare system will be burdened with more stress and frustration and will perform with less donor efficiency and reliability.

“We already are missing chances to elevate care and save lives prior to a patient’s transport to a hospital because we cannot stock ambulances with enough pints of type O whole blood.”

He said the OBI has not experienced the current “profound, sustained gap” in blood donations for more than a generation.

“You are the answer that can keep a blood safety net under cancer, trauma, surgery, obstetric and other patients,” he said. “Please schedule an appointment immediately at 1-877-3408777 or online at obi.org/ need-you-now. Please ask your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and others to prevent needless suffering and, even, death.

There are four blood drives planned in Kingfisher this month:

• June 14: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at United Supermarket

• June 22: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Interbank Community Room (Battle of the Banks)

• June 27: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kingfisher Corner Nutrition

• June 28: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mercy Hospital Kingfisher