American Red Cross urging the public to donate blood to boost supplies
Rachel Basinger
Cletus McConville, account manager for donor recruitment with American Red Cross Blood Services, shows the different features of the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
Rachel Basinger
Jeffrey Golembiewsky of Menallen Township has been donating blood since high school.
Rachel Basinger
Cletus McConville, account manager for donor recruitment with American Red Cross Blood Services, shows the different features of the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
With the summer months traditionally slow for blood donations, followed by a tough Fourth of July weekend, the American Red Cross is now facing an emergency blood shortage.
“We have issued an urgent call for eligible individuals of all blood types to give now and help save patient lives,” said Cletus McConville, account manager for donor recruitment with American Red Cross Blood Services.
More than 550 fewer blood drives were held during the Independence Day holiday week than an average week.
Also, McConville said that blood donations at high school and college blood drives account for as much as 20 percent of donations during the school year. When school is out for the summer, donations from those who usually give at these drives drop by more than 80 percent when school’s out for the summer.
Along with these two hits, McConville said that there has been a decline in new Red Cross blood donors by about 80,000 each year for the past several years.
“Blood donations are currently being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in,” he said.
Regina Boothe Bratton, external communications manager with the American Red Cross, added that this is not just a Red Cross trend, but a challenge that blood collection organizations face “across the country and around the world.
“Regardless of the season, the Red Cross must collect more than 13,000 blood donations every day for patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals across the country,” she said, adding that if they ever ran out of blood supply, the situation would be dire.
“Patient care could be impacted and lives are literally on the line,” she said.
Jeffrey Golembiewsky of Menallen Township has been donating blood since high school and is now in the “Seven Gallon Donor” club.
“I do it for three reasons,” he said. “First, it’s very important for people who need it, second, I’m O positive, so my blood is in demand, and third, I’m healthy enough to give so why not?”
Boothe Bratton said every precaution is taken with safety for the donors as well as those who will eventually receive the blood.
“We do an extensive health screen prior to the donation — vital signs are checked and we make sure the donor is well-hydrated and has eaten,” she said. “Once it is deemed safe for the donor to donate, the blood is collected and transported to one of our labs for extensive testing. Following that, the blood is shipped to our hospital or medical center partners for patients in need.”
Any donations, but especially Type O blood donations, are needed. Type O-negative is the universal blood type and what emergency room personnel use when there is no time to determine the blood type of patients in serious situations.
McConville said a blood donation takes about an hour from start to finish, but the actual donation itself only takes about eight to 10 minutes.
To be eligible to donate, a person must be 17 years old (or 16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and in general good health. Blood can be safely donated every 56 days and platelets can be given every seven days up to 24 times a year.
Boothe Bratton said that while the individuals drawing the blood are paid employees, about 90 percent of the Red Cross force is made up of volunteers.
“They volunteer at blood drives and are trained to be deployed to disaster zones to help alleviate human suffering,” she said. “Our volunteers are amazing and they, along with our employees, do man the front desk at blood drives to comfort and greet donors.”
McConville said appointments are encouraged to reduce possible wait times at blood donation sites, but they’re not necessary.
The Red Cross Blood Donor App allows donors to schedule and manage their donation appointments, track the lifetime impact of their donations, earn rewards and recruit others to donate. Donors can also access their donor card through the Blood Donor App and use it as their official form of identification at donation appointments.
Those with the app can also view their health history information, including blood pressure, hemoglobin levels and pulse rate on the donor card withing the app. To download the free app, text “BLOODAPP” TO 90999 or search “American Red Cross.”