What you should know
The Red Cross is urgently appealing for donations after announcing that the national blood supply has reached “critically low levels.” According to NOAA, the year has broken a record for disastrous weather events across the country with 23 individual weather-related disasters. The Red Cross is closely watching Hurricane Lee and the potential impact on Northeast communities later this week, which could further exacerbate the organization’s critical shortages.
The American Red Cross is sounding the alarm for donations after announcing that the national blood supply has reached “critically low levels,” particularly due to a series of tragic weather-induced natural disasters.
The nonprofit provides about 40% of the US’s blood components, including platelets, and reports a drop in supply of nearly 25% since early August.
Red blood cells have a useful life of just over 40 days and platelets only five days to be used. Type O negative is considered a universal donor, but only 7% of Americans have that blood type.
Blood donations have decreased overall since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrea Cefarelli is senior vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at New York Blood Center. She says first-time donors are down 50% since the pandemic.
“Before the pandemic, 25% of our blood supply came from young donors. High school kids leaving class can donate at the gym with friends; those donations have not recovered for multiple reasons,” Cefarelli said to NBC New York during an interview, who went on to point out teacher shortages and early retirement that also contributed to the loss.
Hybrid and remote work schedules have decreased the number of corporate and neighborhood blood drives.
This year has already broken a record for destructive weather events across the country, with 23 individual weather-related disasters leaving at least $1 billion in damage, according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This surpasses the previous record from 2020 with 22 events.
In August, there were eight national weather disasters, including Hurricane Idalia and the Maui wildfires, which together cost the country nearly $60 billion and caused more than 250 deaths, according to the NOAA report.
The Red Cross is closely monitoring Hurricane Lee and the potential impact on Northeast communities later this week, which could further exacerbate the organization’s critical shortages.
The destruction caused by Hurricane Idalia in late August displaced at least 10,000 people and left more than 700 units of blood and platelets uncollected in the United States, according to the Red Cross. Blood distributions to hospitals are exceeding the number of donations.
Dr. Alexander Indrikovs is the senior director of Northwell Health Blood Bank, a group serving 23 hospitals in the New York City and Long Island metropolitan area. Dr. Indrikovs notes that this shortage is nothing new, but it typically worsens during the summer months and is preparing for the potential consequences of a hurricane with emergency plans.
“It’s easy to prepare for hurricanes because you know they’re coming days in advance, but there are situations where preparations are more difficult or impossible. If there’s a mass shooting in the region, all of a sudden, there’s an influx of patients perhaps in several hospitals,” Dr. Indrikovs told News 4.
Dr. Indrikovs has been practicing medicine for four decades and says he has seen more patients with clinical conditions requiring blood transfusions.
Over the past three years, this doctor says doctors have contacted the New York Blood Center more frequently than before to rationalize the supply of transfusions so there is blood for everyone.
“We receive a report every Monday from the New York Blood Center that tells us which blood groups are most used by patients, group O and A, what their situation is, what they have to distribute to the hospitals in New York,” said Dr. Indrikovs.
The rate of blood transfusions is incredibly high. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood or platelets, and about 30,000 units of red blood cells are needed each day, the Red Cross said.
Cefarelli says that every holiday weekend the New York Blood Center “bites its nails” as to whether it will have enough platelets, which go to cancer and leukemia patients.
“After the Labor Day holiday, we had a critical shortage of platelets. Platelet donors tend to be a little older and stay at a donation center for about an hour and a half to two hours,” Cefarelli noted.
The New York Blood Center is currently expanding donor centers, the newest of which will open in Dutchess County on October 2.
As an initiative to attract more donors, the Red Cross is offering those who donate blood, platelets or plasma a limited edition t-shirt, while supplies last, until September 18.
To find a place to donate go here.
2023-09-14 15:28:22
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