Blood needs for type O positive is CRITICAL

2.18.08 Update: The critical need for blood has been updated to include O-, 0+, B+ and B-.

MONTEREY , Calif. — This is a call from Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula ’s Blood Center . The need for blood of all types — especially type O positive — is CRITICAL . Recent patient need continues to deplete the hospital’s blood supply. Community Hospital makes donating blood easy — the time it takes to donate is just under one hour. If you are able to give blood, older than age 16, and weigh more than 110 pounds, call or come to Community Hospital ’s Blood Center , (831) 625-4814, located at 576 Hartnell Street , just across the street from the Monterey Post Office. Hours of operation are Monday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Even if you have donated before, please keep donating— the need is ongoing.

You can also support upcoming mobile blood drives . Those interested in helping meet the demand for blood on the Monterey Peninsula are encouraged to contact Community Hospital ’s Blood Center immediately. Call 625-4814.

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula , founded in 1934 and located at 23625 Holman Highway in Monterey , has grown and evolved in direct response to the changing healthcare needs of the people it serves. It is a nonprofit healthcare provider with 205 staffed acute-care hospital beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds, delivering a continuum of care from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. It serves the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities through 15 locations, including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term skilled nursing facility, Hospice of the Central Coast , and business offices. Find more information about Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula at www.chomp.org