RICHMOND, Va. -- The American Red Cross said they're facing a shortage of blood donations after a marathon of winter storms caused them to cancel multiple blood drives.
Jonathan McNamara with the Red Cross said they've lost over 350 units of blood in Central Virginia due to the drive cancellations.
Across the U.S., 15,000 blood donations went uncollected.
"When you combine it with the other states that are dealing with these challenging weather situations, you have a ripple effect in the blood supply across the country," said McNamara. "And that's why, for the Red Cross perspective, we're here to remind people because we understand during all this stuff that new blood donation might not be top of mind. We want to try to avoid a second healthcare crisis."
If you had an appointment to give blood that got canceled, the Red Cross is encouraging you to reschedule.
There are several drives happening in Central Virginia this week. You can make an appointment to donate blood ontheir website.
