American Red Cross: Region’s blood supply critically low
Associated Press
Amy Reamy donates blood at the Hope for Accreta blood drive at the American Red Cross blood donation center in Hagerstown, Md. She is shown with staff member Amy Zimmerman.
Associated Press
Dustin Walker donates blood at a recent American Red Cross blood drive.
Blood is collected during a July 2010 blood drive at Saint Vincent Health Center in Erie.
Associated Press
The American Red Cross said it’s blood supply is critically low and is issuing an urgent plea for blood donors across Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland.
The blood bank has a crucial need for all blood types – especially type O – as well as platelet donors.
“It’s a nationwide problem because we are a nationwide blood bank,” said Regina Boothe Bratton, external communications manager for American Red Cross. “We look at regional issues and we also collect when we’re short from the National Blood Bank.”
She said the need for blood in Southwestern Pennsylvania and the surrounding region is at a critical point and nationwide blood supplies are too low to make up the difference.
“It’s an all-encompassing issue right now,” Boothe Bratton said. “We have about three days supply of blood on tap right now and that is just not good. We have winter weather in several parts of the country that we’re contending with as well, so that just exacerbates the situation.”
Boothe Bratton said the organization needs to have a seven-day supply on hand just to care for current patients and trauma situations.
Why are levels at such critical low levels?
This time of year, it’s not unusual to see a dip in donations because of the holidays.
According to the Red Cross, about 500 fewer blood drives were hosted by volunteer sponsor groups during the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s than required to meet patient needs. Many groups postpone blood drives during the winter holidays when travel and holiday activities may make it challenging for many donors to give.
That leaves blood banks at dangerously low levels to start the year.
“You don’t realize how much blood is used and how often it is used,” Boothe Bratton said. “We’re at a very serious situation right now. We always have a hard time around the holidays because it’s just not top of mind for people to donate blood during the holiday.”
She added it’s a great time to make an impactful New Year’s resolution that can save lives: be a blood donor.
“For every pint of blood you donate, up to three patients’ lives are impacted,” Boothe Bratton said. “Not just their lives, their families and their friends and long range implications. So please, please consider donating blood.”
Overall, the need for blood donors is constant since blood is perishable and only has a shelf life of 56 days.
The Red Cross gets weekly orders from hospitals. All types are needed and there’s a particularly large shortage of type O because it is the universal donor type.
“We have seen a downward spiral in the trend of donations of blood donors, so I don’t know what’s causing that,’ Boothe Bratton said. “I do know that a lot of our donors are older, of the older generation. We do need younger people to donate blood. They’re healthier, they’re stronger, they may be able to donate platelets which is something that cancer patients need. We need a diverse pool of blood donors.”
Boothe Bratton said the difficult truth is most people don’t think about blood donation until they need it.
“You just don’t think about donating blood until it hits home and there’s a need,” Boothe Bratton said. “I hear that from patients all the time. I just spoke to a sickle cell patient and her mom and dad are starting to host blood drives because she needs nine units of blood every three weeks. They said they never thought about it.”
The Red Cross is holding blood drives across the region to boost supplies.
For more information on donation opportunities, visit www.redcross.org and enter a zip code for blood donation locations.
Donors are asked to make an appointment to give by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-733-2767.
To get started, a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
To spur interest in blood donation this month, the Red Cross is offering a “super” opportunity: A chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl.
Those who donate blood or platelets until Jan. 19 will automatically be entered for a chance to experience the Super Bowl live. The Red Cross and NFL have teamed up to offer one winner in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region two tickets to Super Bowl LIV, entry to the official NFL Tailgate, tickets to Super Bowl Experience at the Miami Beach Convention Center, round-trip airfare to Miami, three-night hotel accommodations at The Alexander – All Suite Oceanfront Resort and a $500 gift card for expenses.
For more information, visit RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl.