For only the second time in its history, the American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis, and the second time it’s done so in the past five years, as it cautions that the current blood supply could threaten patient care.
With less than a one-day national supply of type O blood on-hand, the Red Cross said it’s been forced to limit distributions to individual hospitals, which is problematic as it’s the most commonly transfused blood type. The goal, according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, is to ensure that blood is available for those patients facing the most critical and life-threatening emergencies across the country.
Blood donations have fallen to a four-year summer low and aren’t enough for the elevated demand typical of summertime, the humanitarian and disaster-relief agency said. What’s more, persistent challenges like extreme heat, poor air quality and the Cyclospora outbreak are among the factors contributing to a lower donor turnout.
“This summer, blood donations simply are not keeping pace with hospital demand, and inventories—especially type O blood—remain under significant strain,” Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said in a statement.
DEAL FOR DONORS
The good news is that even a few people can make a difference. The Red Cross said that just three more donors at each blood drive this summer can end the crisis and stabilize the blood supply.
To encourage regular donors to come back—or entice new people to attend a blood drive—the Red Cross is offering donors a $20 gift card to Amazon. People who make a donation in July can receive a free movie ticket, valued at up to $15, from Fandango by mail. While freebies have become a standard offering for donors, the amount often varies.
People interested in giving blood are encouraged to schedule an appointment as soon as possible by:
- Using the Blood Donor app
- Visiting RedCrossBlood.org
- Calling 1-800-RED CROSS
“Every donation has the potential to help save lives, and we urgently need everyone who is eligible to make an appointment to give blood as soon as possible,” Hrouda said.
The Red Cross is most urgently in need of donations of type O blood because it accounts for about 60% of distributions. It’s also used for life-threatening emergencies and when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type as type O negative is the universal blood type, while type O positive can be safely given to about 80% of patients, according to the agency.
SECOND CRISIS SINCE 2022
The Red Cross first declared a national blood crisis in January 2022 after donations fell amid severe winter weather and ongoing staffing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Following our first-ever national blood crisis in 2022, we put additional safeguards in place to help prevent a crisis like that from happening again,” Hrouda said. One such measure is that hospitals now schedule about 65% of their anticipated blood needs in advance, which helps to provide greater predictability for the volume of blood products needed and where they’re needed most.
The Red Cross alone supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood.