Donors with type B blood are also particularly needed, Gulden added.

"We need all donors, but especially anybody who is an O or B blood

type," Gulden said.

Some people give once a year, but they may not realize they can give

every 56 days, Gulden noted.

The blood shortage is due to several factors related to summertime:

the Red Cross isn't getting donations from blood drives hosted at

colleges and high schools during the year which account for 20 percent

of the state's blood donations, Gulden said. Also, many regular

donors are on vacation and aren't available to donate, she added.

The shortage has gotten so bad that the Red Cross is moving blood from

hospital to hospital to try and meet the needs for emergencies, Gulden

said.

"Every single day there are patients in the hospital who receive

blood," Gulden said. "We need it."

Typically, Georgia is unable to produce enough donated blood to meet

its own demands, so it has to borrow from other states, Gulden said.

But with the summer shortages hitting across the country, there isn't

enough blood to go around, she added.