Blood Shortage Could Force Rationing At IL Hospitals: Blood Supplier

CHICAGO — Less than two weeks after the American Red Cross announced a national blood shortage, one of the biggest blood suppliers to major hospitals across the greater Chicago area said this week that medical facilities may need to begin rationing blood if donations do not pick up soon.

Versiti Blood Center of Illinois, which is based in Aurora, said this week that blood levels are reaching dangerous levels after blood donations have “drastically dropped” recently heading into the fall season. Versiti officials reported having 2,500 open appointments over the past week at a time when hospitals remain in dire need of more blood for patients.

Dan Waxman, the blood center’s vice president of transmission medicine and senior medical director, said blood levels are the lowest they have been in more than a year.

“We are seeing fewer first-time donors walking through our doors, which is adding to an already dangerous situation, and we need the community to step up and donate,” Waxman said.

“Our loyal donors continue to hear our pleas and roll up their sleeves, for which we are extremely grateful. However, if every eligible donor could pledge to donate at least twice by the end of the year and encourage a friend or family member to give blood donation a try.”

Versiti estimates that around 20 percent of its donors are first-time donors. However, more than 50 percent of those donors only donate once. With an aging donor base and increased need, first-time blood donors are desperately needed, the blood center announced this week.

The Chicago Tribune reported this week that Versiti provides blood to 85 area hospitals, including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Silver Cross Hospital and Edward-Elmhurst Health. The newspaper reported that the blood center always hopes to have 10,000 units of blood on hand, but that its supply has dropped to around 2,800 units.

The American Red Cross announced that blood donations have dropped by nearly 25 percent over the past six weeks. The agency said that it can take several weeks for blood inventories to rebound and estimates it will need to collect 10,000 additional blood samples each week nationally in order to reach sufficient levels and meet hospital and patient needs.

There are several reasons for the drop in donor turnout, the Red Cross said, including one of the busiest travel seasons on record, back-to-school activities, and back-to-back months of almost constant climate-driven disasters. Experts are forecasting an intense fall disaster season that could further impact the ability of the Red Cross to collect enough blood products to meet hospital demand, the agency said in a news release.

“We’ve got to think about this as an ongoing need and not get to the point where we’re pleading and begging for our community to come in and do their civic duty to make sure we have this for our patients,” Versiti area vice president, Amy Smith told the Tribune.

She added: “We don’t ever want to be in a situation where we have to start making a decision on who and who doesn’t get blood. We need it now.”

Versiti issued an emergency appeal earlier this week, asking for donors and saying the state’s blood supply is “at a dangerously low point, putting patients at risk.”

How and where to donate blood

To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call (800) 786-4483 or visit versiti.org. Walk-in donors are also welcome.

Versiti’s donor center locations are:

• WESTMONT: 6317 S. Fairview
• TINLEY PARK: 16100 Centennial Circle
• BLOOMINGDALE: 398 W. Army Trail Rd.
• NAPERVILLE: 1297 S. Naper Blvd.
• WINFIELD: 27W281 Geneva Rd.
• JOLIET: 2625 W. Jefferson St.
• GENEVA: 2000 W. State St., Unit 1E
• AURORA: 1200 N. Highland Ave.
• ELGIN: 1140 N. McLean Blvd.
• CRYSTAL LAKE: 6296 Northwest Hwy.
• YORKVILLE: 728 E. Veterans Pkwy., Suite 112
• DEKALB: 2428 Sycamore Rd.
• HIGHLAND: 2126 45th Street

Donating blood takes about an hour. Anyone age 16 or older in good health who meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to give. Parental consent is required for donors 16-year-olds to donate blood. Donors should bring a photo ID that includes their birthdate.