American Red Cross Facing Lowest Blood Supply in Over a Decade
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, according the Red Cross, and every day the Red Cross is there to help. Lately, though, the organization has struggled to meet the demand. Blood donations have tanked during the pandemic with fewer people showing up to make that lifesaving gift. Luckily, if everyone rolls up their sleeves, this problem can be solved.
As the coronavirus and then the Delta variant raced across the country, blood donor turnout reached the lowest levels of the year. Sometimes the Red Cross had less than a day's supply of certain blood types in their stores—sometimes less than half a day's supply. Clearly that's far from an ideal situation for anyone who finds themselves in desperate need of blood. That's why the Red Cross is asking folks to donate, particularly those with O positive and O negative blood, which are the blood types that are most needed by hospitals.
"We recognize that this is a trying time for our country as we balance the new demands of returning to former routines with the ongoing pandemic, but lifesaving blood donations remains essential for hospitals patients in need of emergency and medical care that can't wait," Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services said in a statement. "The Red Cross is working around the clock to meet the blood needs of hospitals and patients – but we can't do it alone."
If you want to do your part and are eligible and able to donate, find a local blood drive, schedule an appointment now by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting their website, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). What an example of how one act could make a huge impact on someone else's life.
