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Blood Supplies Dwindle as Summer Heats Up
Written by
Lesly Hallman
, Staff Writer, Redcross.org
Tuesday, July 06, 2004 — As Americans across the country are coming off the three day July 4th holiday weekend, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to make immediate appointments to donate blood, and to encourage friends and family to do the same. Before the holiday, the Red Cross had an inventory of less than three days in its national blood supply.
Volunteer blood donations help patients being treated for accidents, routine surgeries and serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease and hemophilia. Without the generosity of blood donors, severe shortages can impact their treatment and, in the most extreme cases, cause the delay of surgeries.
“Right now, patients in hospitals across the country need you to roll up your sleeve and give the gift of lifesaving blood,” said American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans. “Blood must be available at a moment’s notice to help anyone in need. It will not be there without generous, volunteer blood donors like you.”
The summer months are traditionally a challenging time for blood centers. During the school year, donations from high school and college students account for approximately 15 percent of Red Cross blood collections. In summer these groups become tougher to reach. Lots of donors also give blood during office blood drives, which see smaller turnouts due to summer vacations.
These shortages usually occur again in the winter, when bad weather and holidays distract them from giving blood.
Despite the fact that giving blood is easy, safe and takes less than one hour, only 5 percent of eligible Americans donate blood. To donate blood, one must be healthy, at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more.
The Red Cross operates a national inventory system that allows blood to be moved from regions with excess supplies to those areas where it is most needed, and is also changing its policy on accepting donors who have lived in the U.K. because of concern about vCJD, the human form of mad cow disease. That change should increase the number of donors that are once again eligible to give blood.
The American Red Cross provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply (collecting more than 6 million units a year from volunteer donors) to patients in 3,000 hospitals across the country through its national network.
Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. The Red Cross must collect blood donations each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients and children with blood disorders, and the organization works to accomplish this through its 36 Blood Services regions. Please call today to make your appointment to give the gift of life. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule your donation or to sponsor a blood drive.
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