Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital officials are asking Santa Clarita residents to help out with blood donations to keep patients healthy during the reported nationwide blood shortage.

Nationwide blood shortages have caused Henry Mayo Hospital officials to reach out to Santa Clarita residents to give if they are able to do so.

“We have seen a decrease, initially,” said Henry Mayo’s Charmine Navarro. “People just aren’t getting out there, don’t know the process is, don’t know the safety of it. However, the American Red Cross and most blood donation sites have made it very safe for you to donate blood.”

Charmine Navarro is the Program Coordinator for Henry Mayo’s Community Education Office, and she spoke on the Hometown Morning Show this week to discuss blood donations.

Navarro discussed the news, reported on by the American Red Cross, and the reasons behind the U.S. ‘s blood shortage, preventing patients from getting better and even leading to greater deaths.

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“We need all types of blood,” Navarro said. “We have the universal donor, the O-Negative…The universal recipient is AB Positive, they can get any blood type.”

Companies and even high schools are not hosting blood drives lately, according to the Santa Clarita hospital official, and all types are desperately needed today.

Navarro also discussed how the Santa Clarita hospital can tell you things about your blood, such as your type, your iron level and other pieces of information.

“I am a recipient, I wouldn’t be alive today if someone hadn’t donated blood,” Navarro said. “So I am here to encourage people to say ‘It’s a pretty simple thing you can do, and you can save a life.’”

This Santa Clarita hospital is a major blood donation recipient, and they are having an upcoming blood drive on March 4 at the Henry Mayo Fitness and Health Center, as well as one on March 14 at the main campus of the hospital.

To donate blood to this Santa Clarita hospital and the Red Cross, click here.

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