The American Red Cross faces a urgent blood shortageas domestic supply has declined by more than 25% since July 1.
The organization reports that extreme temperatures and heat waves disrupted nearly 100 blood drives last month across many states. Bad weather led to lower participation and, in some cases, the cancellation of drives altogether.
Extreme heat disrupts blood donations
Summer typically sees fewer blood donations due to travel and seasonal activities, but this year’s intense heat exacerbated the shortage. In July alone, the shortfall exceeded 19,000 blood donations. As a result, hospitals are depleting blood supplies faster than donations are coming in.
Donated blood is vital for a variety of medical treatments, including surgery and childbirth. The Red Cross stresses that donations save lives, including those of women with pregnancy complications, trauma patients and people battling cancer and blood disorders.
Melissa Destross, a nurse at a maternity unit in Detroit, highlights the seriousness of the situation“When I work with patients who urgently need a blood transfusion, I can’t imagine not having blood available for someone I love who needs it, especially a new mother or baby who needs a transfusion.”
Urgency in blood donations
The organization urgently needs donors of all blood types, particularly type O. Type O blood is often in short supply due to its prevalence (O positive) and universality (O negative) for emergency transfusions.
“Type O is especially important for people injured in accidents and other trauma requiring emergency care,” explains Dr. Barry Siegfried, medical director for the Michigan Red Cross region.
Last week, Connecticut declared a statewide blood supply emergency as inventory levels fell to less than half of what hospitals need.
The Connecticut Blood Center reported an alarmingly low supply of type O blood, holding only a three-day supply, the lowest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shortfall is attributed to seasonal peaks in traumatic accidents and a significant drop in donations, prompting an urgent call for the public to donate type O negative and positive blood.
The Red Cross encourages people to donate by contacting local blood drives or making appointments at donation centers, which can be found at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.
To encourage donations, those who contribute before August 31 will receive a $20 Amazon gift card.
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