Lifestream Blood Bank is hours away from depleting

Lifestream Blood Bank said it is on the verge of using all of its supply of O-positive blood, and platelets.

The blood bank is calling for people to donate to prevent an emergency that would threaten patients' lives.

In a statement, Lifestream President Dr. Rick Axelrod said, "What is extremely concerning is we do not have 'O' positive blood on our shelves for our local hospitals. We will not be able to meet the needs of local hospital patients if we don't receive more blood donations from local residents."

'O' positive blood is the most needed blood type currently. Also needed are platelets. People who are 'A' positive, 'A' negative, 'B' positive, or 'B' negative are asked to make a platelet donation as soon as possible.

According to the Lifestream website, a whole blood donation takes about 45 minutes to complete. You can donate every eight weeks or 56 days.

Platelet donations take about two hours to complete and can be done every seven days. You can only donate plasma up to 24 times a year.

The Coachella Valley has two Lifestream Blood Banks people can head in to donate to:

• 46-660 Washington St Suite 4, La Quinta
• 42390 Bob Hope Dr. Suite 1B, Rancho Mirage

You can make an appointment to donate at any one of these locations on the Lifestream website.