On January 11, the American Red Cross issued its first-ever national blood crisis alert after experiencing the worst blood shortage in over a decade.
Executive Director of the Mid Central Pennsylvania Chapter Hope Roaten said the American Red Cross has been experiencing shortages for four straight months.
“We like to say that we have about, in a best-case scenario, about a five-day supply on the shelf," Roaten said. "Right now, we’re looking at about less than a day’s supply on the shelf.”
Roaten said low blood supplies have an adverse impact on important medical treatments.
“It’s putting doctors in a position where they’re having to decide who gets the transfusion and who has to wait until more blood product is available. And that is a very scary thought when you think about it,” Roaten said.
Roaten said during the pandemic, the American Red Cross has seen a 10% decline in blood donors.
“When you think about kind of the nature of the blood system, right, you can’t manufacture blood, blood has a shelf life so it can’t be stockpiled, this whole system is built on voluntary donations,” Roaten said.
Right now, the local American Red Cross chapter is hosting its virtual ‘Sleeves Up’ campaign to encourage people to donate.