MIDDLETOWN — The city of Middletown is doing its part to help improve the flow of the area blood supply through a blood drive held Thursday, June 26.

The Community Blood Center is running 467 units low of blood throughout all its branches in Southwest Ohio, Carolyn Holland, a community donor representative, said.

The supply typically falls short over the summer, but the need for blood often increases, and can become particularly acute around holidays, such as the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend, she said, which tend to have a higher accident rate.

The center particularly needs negative blood types, including O-negative, a universal donor. However, Holland stressed that all blood types are needed.

"We don't want to get low on the other ones," she said.

She said the current shortage was caused by a high number of transfusions, which often are needed by cancer patients.

If people donate today, Holland hopes they don't stop there.

"A true blood donor donates five to six times a year. It only takes five or six hours a year to save a life," she said.

How to donate

Where: Community Blood Center-Middletown, 3990 Roosevelt Blvd., Suite C

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. first, third and fifth Mondays; noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday; noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday; 2 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday; closed Saturday and Sunday.

Contact: (513) 727-1995 or www.canidonate.org

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.