Indiana and Kentucky Blood Donors Urged to Help as Red Cross Declares National Crisis
American Red Cross Declares National Blood Supply Crisis
I was doing a little research in preparation for this article and asked Google about some of the reasons folks need a blood transfusion. I was thinking major accidents or surgery, but there are a lot of reasons I hadn't even considered, including childbirth complications, bleeding ulcers, blood disorders, cancer treatment, clotting problems, and many other conditions.
In fact, every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood, and much of that blood comes from the American Red Cross. The organization supplies blood products to about 6.5 million people each year. There's a good chance that you or someone you know will need a blood donation in their lifetime.
Thousands of Blood Donations Are Needed Every Day
Every day, the American Red Cross hosts about 520 blood drives, collecting roughly 13,000 blood donations to meet the needs of patients at about 2,500 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country. Over the course of a year, that adds up to more than 4.6 million units of blood! That's a LOT of blood!
A single blood donation can help more than one patient because it's separated into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Those blood products are used every day for trauma patients, people undergoing cancer treatment, premature babies, organ transplant recipients, and patients having major surgeries.
According to a press release from the American Red Cross, blood donations have fallen to a four-year summer low, prompting the organization to declare a national blood supply crisis. It's only the second time in the organization's history it has done so, with the first occurring in January 2022.
Why Is There a Blood Shortage?
While thousands of people continue to donate blood, donations aren't keeping up with hospital demand, which typically increases during the summer trauma season.
Summer often brings more car crashes, boating accidents, construction injuries, and other emergencies that increase the need for blood transfusions. At the same time, vacations and busy summer schedules mean fewer people donate.
The Red Cross says contributing factors also include extreme heat, poor air quality, widespread foodborne illnesses, and the usual decline in donations during the summer months.
Unlike many medical supplies, blood can't be stored indefinitely. Red blood cells have a shelf life of up to 42 days, while platelets last only five to seven days. That means blood centers rely on a steady stream of donations every week to keep hospital shelves stocked.
Currently, the American Red Cross has less than a one-day supply of type O positive blood, forcing the organization to limit distributions of that blood type to individual hospitals.
As the nation's largest single provider of blood products, the Red Cross says O positive is the most commonly transfused blood type. It is compatible with all positive blood types, including A+, B+, O+, and AB+.
How You Can Help
The Red Cross says it could make up the current shortage if just three more people donated at each blood drive. Most healthy adults who meet age and weight requirements are eligible to donate blood, and the entire process usually takes about an hour.
The organization is urging everyone, especially those with type O blood, to schedule an appointment as soon as possible using the Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
As an added incentive, anyone who donates between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31, 2026, will receive a $20 Amazon gift card. You can go get yourself a little treat for donating! How cool is that?
One hour of your time could help save multiple lives. If you've ever thought about donating blood, now is one of the most important times to do it.
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