Every 4 minutes, someone in South Texas needs blood.
It’s up to Type O donors like you to give blood for use in emergencies, surgeries or even to fight cancer.
Who Needs Type O Blood?
Type O blood is broken down into type O positive and type O negative.
Thirty-nine percent of people are O-positive, the most common blood type. With special testing, O-positive blood is used more and more to give in traumas when O-negatives are in short supply.
Your blood type mainly goes to patients battling cancer and related blood conditions, as well as for surgeries, transplants and trauma emergencies.
Only 7 percent of people are O-negative. The need for type O-negative donors is special because it can be given to any patient in an emergency.
Male donors who are type O-positive may also save lives in another way. Their blood is specially screened for transfusion at the scene of an accident through a program called Brothers in Arms.
You can give these donations at all our donor rooms and blood drives. The donation takes less than an hour and you can donate every 56 days.
Ready to Donate?
Hundreds of blood donations are needed every day for patients in South Texas. Yet less than 5% of people donate blood.
It takes Type O blood donors like you to make a difference and save lives.
Visit SouthTexasBlood.org or call 210-731-5590 to schedule your Type O donation today.
Donation FAQs
STBTC needs to collect an adequate blood supply for more than 100 hospitals in 40 South Texas counties. We depend on volunteer blood donors to make this happen. Also, blood is perishable and there is no substitute.
You may donate at any of our seven neighborhood donor rooms or at any mobile blood drive. See above for locations.
Whole blood donors must wait at least 8 weeks between donations.
You receive a mini-physical (pulse, temperature and iron check), earn donor points and redeem them for a FREE gift card of your choice on our rewards store and the satisfaction that comes from saving lives.
The FDA requires that all blood centers ask about your medical history every time you donate to ensure the safety of the blood supply. You have to wait a certain amount of time between donations. A lot can happen in that time. The questions serve as a layer of protection for patients who receive blood.
Refrigerated red blood cells can be stored for up to 42 days.
Blood is used for many different patients including: cancer patients, open-heart surgery patients, diabetics, recipients of organ or tissue transplants, trauma victims and more.
After resting for five to ten minutes and enjoying refreshments to replenish your fluids, you should feel just fine and ready to continue your daily activities. You should refrain from heavy lifting or extreme physical exertion for 24 hours and you’ll feel great knowing you have helped save three lives.
Yes. All supplies used to collect blood are new, completely sterile and used only once. There is no risk of disease transmission to a donor.
Comfort levels vary from person to person but most first-time donors wonder why they waited so long! You will feel a slight pinch and it’s all over before you know it!
The qualifications to be a blood donor are simple. You must be in good general health, at least 17 years of age (or 16 with parental consent form) and weigh at least 110 lbs (or 120 lbs if 16 years old).
