The American Red Cross declared a national blood supply crisis earlier this summer, for only the second time in its history. The organization issued an urgent appeal to give blood, as hospital demand has outpaced donations.
Blood Shortage Details
The Red Cross said blood donations dropped to a four-year summer low in July, driven by extreme heat, poor air quality, and rampant foodborne illness. Type O blood is in particularly short supply. The Red Cross had less than a one-day supply of type O positive blood, the most commonly transfused type, at the time of its declaration.
O negative is in critical demand as the universal blood type, which is given to patients in emergency situations when there isn’t enough time to determine their blood type. Blood shortages force hospitals to make difficult decisions about how limited supplies are used. The more urgent the case, the higher the priority.
How to Help
Donors can visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767 to make a donation appointment. Other organizations, such as America’s Blood Centers and the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies, are also urging people to donate blood as soon as possible. Some donors may receive incentives, such as gift cards, for their donations.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
