Blood
Red Cross Says Need for Blood Is Urgent
Sep
photo by: File photo by Derek Redd
Dara Pond of Moundsville shares a laugh with Kaitlyn Weber of the American Red Cross, as Pond donates a unit of blood last year at the first “Logan’s Legacy” blood drive.
WHEELING — A national blood supply shortage has created a need for Ohio County residents to donate blood and encourage friends and family members to give blood as well.
The urgent need for blood was declared in August at the Red Cross, as Executive Director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley Sharon Kesselring explained that they started to see a drop off in donations in July with this drop becoming “very significant” the following month.
“We were hoping that donations would increase again by September, and we haven’t experienced that yet,” said Kesselring. “So people need to begin to take advantage of local blood drives.”
On why the shortage is happening, Kesselring said that there are a “variety of factors” that come into play. She noted that the main two are increased vacation travel and major disasters shutting down blood drives nationwide.
Due to the time of the year with many people traveling, she added that the “last thing” on people’s minds was donating blood, leading to fewer than 30,000 donors in August nationwide. This number of donations is “a major problem,” said Kesselring, as the Red Cross needs to collect 12,500 units of blood a day to “keep up with hospital and patient demand.”
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Idalia are adding to the problem, with Kesselring stating that whenever major disasters occur, it really “impacts the ability to hold blood drives.”
“Any major disaster cancels out blood drives that we may be trying to have in that period because staff and donors can’t get there,” said Kesselring. “The equipment also becomes unusable in some cases, which compounds the problem.”
Those with Type O blood are particularly vital at blood drives right now, as there is an “urgent need” for Type O blood, particularly Type O-negative, at the Red Cross.
Kesselring explained that having a supply of Type O-negative blood is important for hospitals, as it is “compatible with any other type of blood.”
“Type O-negative is vital in an emergency because if someone was just in a car accident, for example, and the hospital doesn’t have the time to type identify them, they can be given Type O-negative immediately,” said Kesselring.
She added that Type O-positive blood is also “great” because it can be used for any other positive blood type.
The shortage will have a “major impact” on hospitals, as Kesselring explained, the Red Cross now has to “closely monitor how much blood hospitals receive.”
“Sometimes we may not be able to fill a hospital’s entire order, which means that they may not have sufficient blood on the shelf when somebody needs it,” said Kesselring. “When someone needs the blood, it’s already too late to donate.”
She explained that it takes “three to five days” to process blood to make it “ready and safe” for transfusion purposes.
“You can’t just give blood to your mother right then if she needs it,” said Kesselring. “The blood still has to be processed, so it’s important that we have an adequate supply at all times.”
While people cannot get the “immediate gratification” of knowing where their donated blood goes due to processing, Kesselring says that blood donors can receive “a type of gratification.” She explained that blood donors can track where their blood goes using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
She added that the app is “marvelous” in that it can also track “vital statistics” needed by the Red Cross leading up to donations, as well as allowing donors to “build up a blood donation history” in the app.
“On the app, you can see your blood type and when you’re eligible to donate it,” said Kesselring. “You can also do a rapid pass if you put in your health history the morning of your appointment, which can save you a lot of time at the blood drive.”
On what health history is needed for an appointment, Kesselring said the “basic things to know” are that one must be at least 17 years of age and at least 110 pounds.
“If you’re unsure of what you’re doing going into that donation, that staff will walk you through everything,” said Kesselring. “They’ll make sure you’re very confident as you go through the process.”
Once one has done their duty of donating, Kesselring explained that the “next step” is to encourage family and friends to donate.
She said the best way to encourage loved ones to donate is to tell them, “If somebody in your family needed blood and there was none because somebody just didn’t take the time to donate, how bad would you feel about that?”
She added that going into the holiday season, families often attend blood drives together as a “great thing” to do while everyone spends time together.
September is also Sickle Cell Awareness Month, with Kesselring encouraging those who are African American to “definitely come in and give blood now,” as patients with sickle cell need “blood transfusions and lots of them.”
Apart from the opportunity to save lives, the Red Cross is offering up a couple of other “perks,” according to Kesselring, for people who donate in September. These incentives include a free t-shirt available as “long as supplied last,” a coupon for a free SportsClips haircut and entry into a contest to win a trip to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series & Xfinity Races at Darlington Raceway.
“If you’re sitting around town for the day, check and see if there’s a blood drive going on, now’s the time to do it,” said Kesselring. “Even if you’re not eligible to give blood, that doesn’t mean you can’t volunteer at a blood drive or help out at something else at the Red Cross.”
To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-Red-Cross, go to RedCrossBlood.org or schedule on the Red Cross Blood Donor App. While the Red Cross does take walk-ins, Kesselring said they would “much prefer” an appointment be scheduled to avoid long wait times.
