Inova Health System is urgently seeking blood donors to plug a hole in the region’s blood supply caused by the federal government shutdown.

As it turns out, four major federal agencies were scheduled to host employee blood drives at their work sites this week, but have canceled those events in light of the Congressional inaction on spending bills.

Those feds were projected to donate 300 units of blood, blood that’s already been accounted for by planners at 24 area hospitals that use blood handled by Inova Blood Donor Services. Those units could be used for transfusions for up to 900 different patients.

Inova has three locations open to collect blood:

• CenterMed Donor Center, open noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday;
• Dulles Donor Center, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday;
• Woodburn Donor Center, noon-8 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday.

In consideration for coming to the centers — instead of giving blood at work — Inova will give any donor who completes the screening process a $10 gift card.