ASHEBORO N.C. – The American Red Cross says blood donations are urgently needed in wake of back-to-back climate disasters and critical summer shortfall.
On September 11th, 2023, the American Red Cross announced that the national blood supply has fallen to critically low levels that could potentially threatening the emergency medical care of patients and those with medical conditions who depend on blood transfusions.
A 25% drop in donations since August blamed on one of the busiest travel seasons on record and back-to-back months of worsening climate-driven disasters resulting in cancelations of blood drives combined to reduce blood and platelet donations.
Each day the Red Cross says it needs to collect 12,5000 blood donations, however donations are not keeping up to meet the needs of the approximately 2,500 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country rely on the Red Cross.
“For so many patients living with urgent medical care needs, crises don’t stop with natural disasters,” said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer for the American Red Cross. “In fact, in some instances the stress of a disaster can lead to a medical crisis for some individuals battling sickle cell disease. The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood—an often-invisible emergency that the rest of the world doesn’t see behind closed hospital doors. Now, that urgency has only heightened.”
Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there is an emergency need for platelet donors and type O blood donors to make an appointment to give now to ensure patients across the country continue to receive critical medical care. To make an appointment to give blood or platelets, donors can use the Red Cross Blood App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).