Our Blood Institute is facing a critical shortage that forced the nonprofit to outsource blood supplies from the East Coast, as the need from local hospitals increases.
The organization set a goal of collecting 1,200 donations per day statewide, but said recently, hospitals are outpacing what locals are supplying.
OBI said it primarily needs O-negative blood, the universal blood type. However, all donor types can help address the shortage.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, someone in the United States needs blood or platelets every two seconds.
OBI serves as Oklahoma's primary blood collection and distribution network. OBI said 95% of blood collected in Oklahoma stays in Oklahoma.
"We are intent on what we do and also making sure if we're asking to do blood