Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center has partnered with the American Red Cross to host four blood drives during the month of May to assist with a severe blood supply shortage from the unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Every two seconds there is someone in the United States in need of blood or platelets and all blood types are urgently needed. According to the Red Cross, more than 160 blood drives have been canceled in Georgia, which results in more than 7,700 fewer blood donations – 80 percent of blood that the Red Cross collects comes from drives held at locations like Piedmont Athens Regional.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, people have focused to protecting their communities. As a result, there’s been a large increase in blood drive cancelations across the United States,” said Piedmont Athens Regional’s Executive Director of Philanthropy Tammy Gilland, who led the coordination of the hospital’s blood drive. “Our hospital is just one healthcare facility across our nation affected by these cancellations, and we wanted to do our part to help patients in our region who are in need of blood.”

Piedmont Athens Regional will be hosting four blood drives throughout the month of May. On Tuesday, May 19 and May 26, blood drives will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the hospital’s Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support located near the hospital’s main campus at 240 Talmadge Drive in Athens. On Thursday, May 21 and May 28, drives will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the hospital’s Oconee Health Campus located at 1305 Jennings Mill Road in Watkinsville, Ga.