The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood shortage nationwide. Since July, their blood supply has fallen by more than 25%. Meanwhile, hospital demand for blood products remains high.
Increased temperatures across the country have impacted almost 100 blood drives including some being shut down due to extreme heat, adding to the usual summer obstacles like traveling and summer activities. These factors have led to a shortfall of over 19,000 blood donations last month.
“Summer is always a more challenging time to collect lifesaving blood. We collect a lot of blood at university and school blood drives, and of course, schools are closed during the summer. And then it's been very hot across the country, and that has shut down some blood drives," Communications Director for the Red Cross of Montana, Idaho, and East Oregon Matt Ochsner explains. "But also I think it's discouraged some people from coming out.”
While blood donations are typically low in the summer, the Red Cross reports a surge in severe injuries due to summer-related activities like ATV wrecks and sporting accidents leading to a high demand of blood transfusions.
Currently, the supply of Type O blood is so low, that distributions of this type have fallen below the amount hospitals typically count on. Around 45% of people in the US have positive or negative Type O blood, and it is the most requested blood type by hospitals.
Type O-negative is the universal blood type, and the one doctors reach for when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type. Type O-positive is the most common and most transfused blood type.
While Type O is especially in demand, there is a national shortage of all blood types. Ochsner says, “The need for blood is constant. Cancer patients, expecting moms, people in accidents, they depend on people coming out and donating that lifesaving blood.”
According to the Red Cross in order to encourage blood donations, those who come give blood, platelets or plasma in the month of August will receive a $20 Amazon gift card via email.
To schedule an appointment to donate, visit RedCrossBlood.org, or call 800-733-2767.
