The American Red Cross has issued a national blood supply crisis for only the second time in its history.
Blood donations have reached a four-year summer low while demand remains high, leading to the first blood crisis since Jan. 2022, which occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"What we've seen this summer is a higher demand from hospitals, so we're sending more blood out and we're not seeing as many people come in to give, and that's created a gap in the blood supply that led to this," Christina Peters, regional communications director for the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region, said Wednesday on the "Sound of Ideas."
Peters stressed the need for donations from all blood types, but mentioned that O-negative is the universal blood type and O-positive is the most common blood type.
"During an emergency like a car accident, doctors can transfuse type O-negative blood until they have time to type a patient's blood and determine what their type is," Peters said. "But O-positive is the most common blood type, so it's in high demand as well."
She noted that platelets, which are a component of donated blood and only have a five-day shelf life, are also needed.
People must be at least 17 years old to donate blood, but in Ohio, 16-year-olds can donate with parental consent, according to Peters. She also said that donors have to meet certain height and weight requirements and must be feeling well on the day of the donation.
"We need people to give on a regular basis, not only to keep our local blood supplies strong, but to be prepared," Peters said. "Emergencies can happen at any time, and that blood needs to be on the shelf, ready to go so a hospital can have it and use it for patients."
Peters said there are around 20 blood drives in Northern Ohio every day. The Red Cross has a free blood donor app that allows interested donors to search for a nearby drive.
Anyone interested in donating blood can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org for more details.
