Blood supplies shrinking; Blood Bank of Delmarva declares “blood emergency”

Blood donations have slowed to a trickle at times over the summer, and that’s led the Blood Bank of Delmarva to announce a “blood emergency.”

19 hospitals depend on donations. Paramedic teams also rely on blood supplies from the Blood Bank as they respond to accidents, shootings and other emergencies.

Summer vacations, the Labor Day holiday and back-to-school activities may account for recent slow times at donation centers. School-based blood drives still need to pick up, and with more people working remotely at least part of the time corporate drives have less impact compared to before the pandemic.

“Ideally, we’d like to maintain at least a five-day and ideally a seven-day inventory of all blood types, but when you look at some of the key blood types – the most in demand being O-positive  and O-negative – those are critically low,” Blood Bank spokesman Tony Prado said. “O-negative in particular is just at one day.”

Prado said there is also a need for platelet donations. That takes a couple of hours, but platelets can be essential for people who suffer traumatic injuries or who are fighting diseases such as cancer. Platelets are perishable and only last about five days.

O-negative is universal and can be given to anybody in an emergency and the person’s blood type is unknown.

Special appeals are being made for more young people and first-time donors to come in. The Blood Bank is also recognizing Sickle Cell Awareness Month and Hispanic Heritage Month by encouraging more African Americans and Hispanic Americans to donate.

“It is critical that our community visit our donor centers and donate in order to provide hospitals with the life-saving blood that is needed in our community,” Blood Bank of Delmarva VP Emily Cunningham said. “You never know when you’ll need blood, so please donate blood as soon as you can and then commit to donating regularly to help us prepare for the fall and winter months.”

For more information and to schedule an appointment call 888-8-BLOOD-8, or visit www.delmarvablood.org