American Red Cross declares emergency blood shortage, urges donors to give immediately
Blood supply dropped nearly 25% in June as hospitals face increased demand during the summer season.
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The American Red Cross is urging people to donate blood immediately after declaring an emergency blood shortage, saying the nation’s blood supply dropped nearly 25% in June amid rising demand from hospitals.
The organization said blood donations have declined sharply since the end of May, while Red Cross distributions to hospitals are running about 3,500 units higher per week than expected during the peak of the summer trauma season. Officials said the shortage is especially severe for platelet donations and type O positive and B negative blood.
The Red Cross attributed the decline to busy summer schedules and the seasonal loss of school blood drives, warning that patient care could be affected if donations do not increase.
“A readily available blood supply serves as the backbone of modern medicine. Without it, lifesaving treatments and critical access points to care are not possible,” said Dr. Courtney Lawrence, medical director for the Red Cross.
The Red Cross also said misconceptions about blood donation may contribute to the shortage. A recent survey found fewer than one in five respondents understood that blood cannot be stockpiled because it has a limited shelf life, while only about half believed they or someone close to them would likely need a blood transfusion, despite one occurring every two seconds in the United States.
People can schedule an appointment through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. As an incentive, donors who give blood between July 13 and July 31 will receive a Fandango movie ticket by email, worth up to $15, the organization said.
