One day after the American Red Cross announced upcoming blood drives in Dallas County, top officials in the organization’s Alabama and Central Gulf Coast Region said blood supplies in the state have reached a critical low and there is cause for concern.

In a press release, Mark Beddingfield, COO of the Red Cross Alabama and Central Gulf Coast Region, said there is currently less than a day’s supply of negative red blood units on the shelves.

Inventory of blood types A negative, B negative and O negative-along with O positive and B positive-have dwindled over the past few weeks.

“We are asking everyone who can donate to schedule an appointment with a donor center or find out where the nearest blood center is,” Beddingfield said in the press release.

Mary Lee Conwell, spokesperson for the Red Cross, said this region is responsible for providing blood to over 100 hospitals across Alabama, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the Florida Panhandle.

“It’s good for us to have a three-day supply, and best for us to have a five to seven-day supply,” Conwell said. “This is the time of year when we really need blood on our shelves.”

Conwell said the Red Cross always has a slowdown in blood donations over the summer due to people going on vacations and having irregular routines, but this is also the time of year when more accidents occur and blood transfusions are needed.

“The donation slowdown happens annually, but it seems to start sooner and sooner every year. We don’t why this is happening,” Conwell said. “This is a life and death situation that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

Helen Carroll, blood donor recruiter for the Red Cross, said the low blood supply does not mean the people of Dallas County should rush to local hospital to give blood.

“There are other blood drives going on now across the state,” Carroll said. “We need more blood for today and tomorrow, but we also need enough blood to carry us through the whole month of June. What I need is for the people of Selma is to give blood at the already scheduled drives on June 25 and June 29 to help us get through the rest of this summer slump. Otherwise, if everyone gave now, we could be worse off come June 29.”

Conwell said giving blood takes roughly an hour and the actual donation last about ten minutes.

“It takes about two and half days to test and process the donated blood to make sure it has no type of blood-born diseases,” Conwell said. “We separate the red blood cells, so two people can benefit from one donation.”

Red blood cells, which are used in transfusions, have a shelf life of only 42 days.

In order to give blood, donors must be at least 17-years-old, in good health, and not donated blood in the past eight weeks.

Selma’s first blood drive will take place on June 25 at the Dallas County Department of Human Resources from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on June 29 at the Selma Mall from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.=