DETROIT (Jan. 20, 2026) – The American Red Cross, facing a severe blood shortage, was joined by doctors from two Michigan hospitals Tuesday to issue an urgent call for blood donations to prevent delays in lifesaving medical care.
The Red Cross said its blood supply has dropped 35 percent in the past month as the distribution of blood products to hospitals has exceeded the available blood supply. Key factors contributing to the shortage:
Extreme winter weather forced the cancellation of about 400 blood drives nationwide – including at least 12 in Michigan. These cancellations are more than three times the number of blood drives affected during the same time last year. As a result, thousands of blood donations went uncollected.
The worst flu season in nearly 20 years may be sidelining donors nationwide, slowing efforts to rebuild the Red Cross national blood supply.
“The Red Cross is doing everything we can do to minimize any impact on hospital patients,” Kelly King, regional CEO of the Red Cross Michigan Region, said at a virtual press briefing hosted with Michigan Medicine and Hillsdale Hospital.
“Every donation can be a lifeline for a patient who isn’t able to hold off on critical care.”
Jennifer Douglas, a resident of Howell, spoke of how blood donations saved her life in 2011. While 20 weeks pregnant with her third child, she experienced two medical emergencies seven weeks apart that required her to receive 13 units of blood during the first emergency and 25 units of blood and 31 units of plasma and platelets in the second.
“One thing is absolutely clear,” she said, “I would not be alive today if that blood had not already been waiting for me. My husband, Andy, would have been left alone to raise two little girls and a newborn baby boy, Jack.
“That blood didn’t come from a machine. It came from people who gave an hour of their day and a pint of their blood. People who never knew me, and yet they saved me. They saved Jack. Really, they saved my entire family.”
In gratitude to blood donors, Douglas has been hosting blood drives with the Red Cross since 2022. She hosts a blood drive twice a year with a friend, and the entire family volunteers to help. The most recent drive collected 30 units of blood.
“Our goal is really simple: It’s to help keep families together just like donors kept ours together,” Douglas said.
The Red Cross said blood donations are needed to help prevent delays in vital medical care. While all blood types are needed, the shortage is especially serious for blood types O, A negative and B negative blood.
“While we monitor the blood supply daily, it is important to remember that blood is perishable and cannot be stockpiled,” said Scot Dinsmor, a Red Cross blood account manager. “The Red Cross blood supply can be replenished when generous volunteer blood donors roll up a sleeve to give.”
Doctors from Michigan Medicine and Hillsdale Hospital said the shortage could have serious ramifications for patients. Both implored people who are eligible to give blood to make an appointment.
“Things get especially challenging during shortages like this,” said Jensyn Sullivan, M.D., a transfusion medicine and blood bank physician at Michigan Medicine, which transfuses about 200 blood products daily. She said one patient has received more than 100 blood products for a severe hemorrhage.
“We are forced, at times especially when supply is tight, to make really challenging decisions about how long to support a patient who might not have the best prognosis. In the setting of shortages, sometimes what we can do depends on what we have to give to patients.”
She added, “I encourage anyone who is healthy and who is able to donate, to consider that. It truly is the difference between life or death for many patients that visit our institution every day.”
Lance Wells, M.D., is an emergency department physician at Hillsdale Hospital, located about 30-40 miles south of Jackson. He said hospitals in rural communities deal with the same level of acuity as larger hospitals, only they have fewer resources at hand.
He said a patient who suffered trauma injuries from a major car accident “can really shift the balance of what your blood supply is” at a smaller hospital like his.
“To think of a shortage that would prevent me from being able to give blood to a patient, not only do I think about what kind of impact that would have on my hospital, that would be a major blow,” he said. “No one would ever fathom that, oh, I can’t give you blood because I don’t have enough.”
Dr. Wells said the need for blood is critical.
“We need people to donate blood. It is absolutely imperative,” he said, “Get the blood banks up so we are able to save and give it to the people who need it.”
There are three ways to make an appointment to give blood:
For those who come to give through Jan. 25, you’ll have a chance to win 2 tickets to Super Bowl LX in California next month. For those wondering about your chances, a Michigan blood donor did in fact win the Super Bowl tickets in 2022.
All who come to give Jan. 26 through Feb. 28 will receive a $20 e-gift card to a merchant of choice.
###
MEDIA CONTACT: David Olejarz / david.olejarz@redcross.org / 313-303-0606
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
