The Lee Memorial Bloodmobile will make five stops in Cape Coral this week and one stop in North Fort Myers next week to help fulfill its needs for O negative and A negative blood type donations.

“Lee Memorial Blood Center relies on the support of the community to ensure all of our patients’, here in the Lee Memorial Health System, needs are met,” Lee Memorial Blood Center Community Relations Director Nancy Hendrick said. “Blood product usage is a big part of our patients’ therapy, recovery from illness and to sustain life in a traumatic event.”

O negative blood, which only 9 percent of the population has, is universal because when an individual with a trauma visits the hospital, they are given O negative blood first before the staff determines what blood type they are.

Although O negative is a universal blood type, if an individual is O negative, he or she can only receive O negative blood back.

Only 7 percent of the population has an A negative blood type.

The most common blood type is O positive, with 40 percent of the population having that type. Thirty-one percent of the population has A positive blood type.

The first blood drive will be held today at the Cape Coral Wellness Center, 609 S.E. 13th Court, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

On Aug. 18, the bloodmobile will stop at Cape Coral Construction Industry Association, 611 S.E. 11th Street, Suite B, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. On Aug. 21, individuals can donate their blood from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at First Christian Church located at 2620 County Club Blvd.

The “Fun n Sun” blood drive will be held at Cape Coral Hospital on Aug. 23 -24 in the volunteer orientation room, 636 Del Prado Blvd. On Aug. 23 donations can be made from 9:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. and from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Aug. 24.

The last blood drive will be held on Aug. 25 from 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Hancock Creek Elementary, 1631 Skyline Drive, in North Fort Myers.

“What we are asking is the public to step up to the plate and help us in our mission to save lives locally,” Hendrick said.

Individuals can also donate blood at the Cape Coral Hospital Donor Center Monday through Friday. The hours are from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

For information, call the Cape Coral Hospital Donor Center at 239-424-2400.

To donate blood, individuals must be at least 17 years old, or 16 with parental consent and in good general health, along with weighing a minimum of 115 pounds. Before donating blood, individuals should be hydrated and eat high fiber foods.

A photo ID is needed for first time donors.

An individual can donate his or her blood every 56 days, which can amount to a total of six times a year if timed correctly.

The Lee Memorial Blood Center needs 800 units of blood and blood products a week just to sustain the demand. Lee Memorial Hospital provides service for a five-county radius, which is why it needs continued donations to fill the demand.

The blood donations and product collected from the donations are used for multiple purposes, including providing blood for patients in the trauma center, cancer patients, premature babies, anemia, among others.

The Lee Memorial Blood Center is the sole provider for the Lee Memorial Health System.

For information about blood drives and blood centers, visit www.leememorial.org/bloodcenter/index.asp or call 239-343-2333.