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Donors are urgently needed at American Red Cross blood drives due to an emergency blood shortage that may delay medical procedures.
As the nation faces the lowest number of blood donors in the past 20 years, American Red Cross officials urge Wheeling residents to get poked to make up for the 7,000 units of blood lost between Christmas and New Year's.
January is typically a slow month for blood donations due to the "holiday slump," noted Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross Ohio River Valley Chapter.
Apart from holiday gatherings and time off of work, sickness often serves as a compounding factor, creating a dip in donations.
"There are so many people sick with the flu, COVID, RSV, and pneumonia, so obviously they’re not healthy enough to get blood," noted Kesselring. "If they're normal, regular donors, they're just not able to donate right now."
Inclement weather also contributes to the fall in blood units donated as the Red Cross operates on a national distribution system. When bad weather affects one part of the county, closing blood drives and decreasing donors, the other two-thirds of the U.S. needs to fill in those gaps.
The impact of already being in a low giving month has been compounded by a 40% drop in donations over the past 20 years. Kesselring explained that the issue of decreased donation numbers has now "become a point of pain" in the New Year.
As a result of the major decrease in donations, the Red Cross has entered an emergency appeal with no end date in sight.
"Due to sickness and the holidays, some normal, regular donors are just not able to give right now," explained Kesselring. "Only about 4% of the population actually donate blood anyway, so we really need people to step up and give blood."
If the Red Cross does not see an increase in donors, the organization will not be able to maintain adequate blood supplies. As the problem worsens, Kesselring explained the Red Cross has had to "pull back" from distribution requests hospitals have been seeking.
Additionally, patients may face delays in their surgery if there's not enough blood on the shelves.
"Doctors are limited on their blood supply, so they may need to cut back on who's able to get blood and figure out how to make it work without it," she added. "There is no substitute for human blood, so that’s why it’s very important that people are able to get those transfusions at the hospitals when they’re needed."
A local blood drive will be held on Jan. 22 and 23 at the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Kesselring also encourages residents to schedule their own donation appointments on top of attending drives. She explained this counteracts the losses incurred when drives are canceled due to staff sickness or inclement weather, which is common during the winter season.
O-negative blood types are particularly needed due to their ability to donate to any other blood type. O-positive blood types are also encouraged due to their ability to be given to any other positive blood type.
To schedule an appointment, one can download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit
RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
January also marks National Blood Donor months, with the Red Cross and National Football League partnering to urge individuals to give blood or platelets and help tackle the emergency blood shortage. Those who give blood, platelets or plasma in Jan. will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Super Bowl.