American Red Cross blood bank shortage, new incentives for donating blood

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The American Red Cross has declared an emergency after blood supply hit an alarming percentage below 25 percent.

“Right now, we do have a critical shortage of all blood types and uh, and need donations,” said Sarah Crews, Med Center Health’s blood bank technical coordinator. 

According to the American Red Cross, 29,000 units of red blood cells and 5,000 units of platelets are needed daily in the U.S. 

The organization said summer is also a trauma season, where the need for blood is increased. Crews said the summer break breaks blood banks because there are less donors, and blood has a limited shelf life.

“We don’t have as many people donating throughout the summer just because of summer break and vacations. a lot of school drives operate through the school year and so when they’re out for the summer we don’t see as many donations,” Crews said.

The scarce supply types include O-negative, O-positive, A-negative and B-negative. This type of drought affects the ER room, sickle cell, cancer and transfusion patients.

“We have to be very strategic on which patients get what blood, and we have to prioritize who needs it the most,” Crews said.

Crews said there are new incentives for those who step up and donate to save lives of those in need.

“If you donated between the date July 13 and the 31st, you get a $15 fandango movie ticket. if you are a type O blood donor, it doesn’t matter what donor you make, you get an additional $20 e gift card,” she said.

If you would like to donate, you can visit the American Red Cross website and click donate blood to find a location near you.