BATON ROUGE- Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said Baton Rouge needs willing blood donors amid the COVID-19 outbreak during a news conference Monday afternoon.

"As a result of this crisis, we are seeing our blood supply go down and so, we are in need of blood donations," she said.

"You can reach out to any of the health facilities in our area and they will give you direction in terms of blood donation."

Baton Rouge General will be hosting a blood drive at its Bluebonnet campus Wednesday, March 18 from 10 a.m until 6 p.m. 

Baton Rouge General Bluebonnet campus, located at 8585 Picardy Ave., the mobile blood unit will be made available at Entrance 3.

Vitalent is hosting two blood drives on March 19 and 20 at the East Baton Rouge Public Library from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., located at 7711 Goodwood Blvd.

Donations are also welcome at three Our Lady of the Lake locations in Baton Rouge, Zachary, and Gonzales.

Baton Rouge: 
5000 Hennessy Blvd
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A bus will be parked in front of the main entrance.

Zachary:
Lane Regional Medical Center at 6300 Main St.
Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
A bus will be parked in the front parking lot.

Gonzales: 
Medical Plaza II at 1404 West Clare Blvd.
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The American Red Cross said they're now facing a "severe blood shortage," as blood drives across the country continue to be canceled as concerns over the novel coronavirus pandemic grow.

"Right now, the Red Cross is distributing blood donations faster than they are coming in," Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of the American Red Cross said.

"As concerns about COVID-19 grow and more blood drive cancellations come, the Red Cross and other blood collection organizations, as well as hospitals across the country, have heightened concerns about our ability to meet patient needs," Sullivan continued. "That’s why we are asking healthy individuals to roll up a sleeve and give blood now."