A drop in seasonal donors coupled with a nationwide slowdown has created a critical shortage of blood throughout the region.

Recent demand has left the Naples-based Community Blood Center with a mere three day blood supply.

“We had a few blood drives over the weekend and we used a lot of those resources by Tuesday morning,” says Lauren Rosen, community relations manager for the CBC, an affiliate of Naples Community Hospital Healthcare System.

It’s estimated more than 12,000 pints of whole blood are donated annually by the residents of Southwest Florida.

But, when local snowbirds return home for the summer, a reliable source of blood donors is lost.

Nationally, about one third of eligible adults make regular blood donations.

And, what’s donated locally stays local and immediately goes out to area hospitals, according to Rosen.

While all blood types are needed, Rosen add, there’s a particular shortage of negative typed blood.

“Somebody has an Rh negative blood type, that means they don’t have the Rh factor within their blood, then they can only get a negative. If you have positive blood like I am, A positive, I can receive O+, A+, A- and O- blood. So, if you’re a positive blood you can receive negative blood but if you’re negative, you can only get a negative,” says Rosen.

Donate to win

CBC wants to encourage new blood donors to give, so it’s giving away a trip for four to Busch Gardens to one lucky donor.

“We want to give somebody something special to look forward to for taking time out to save three lives with just a single pint. Having a drawing is just another way of taking the fear out of giving blood that people have,” says Rosen.

Donors as young as 16 can give blood, with their parent’s approval.

And, donors may give a pint of blood about every two months.

Each pint is separated into its component parts … red cells, platelets and plasma –and may potentially help three different patients.

Blood drives are being held this weekend at the Hollywood 20 Cinemas in Naples.