The American Red Cross is facing a severe shortage of blood across the country — including in Indiana — and urgently needs donors to help hospitals avoid canceling or delaying surgeries.
The shortage, which officials say is unprecedented in scope, is being driven by a number of factors, including higher-than-anticipated demand for blood at hospitals and an increasing number of patients seeking to undergo surgeries they had put off during the pandemic, the Red Cross said.
And all of this is happening in the summer, when blood donations usually drop.
Demand for red blood cells at hospitals with trauma centers is up 10% this year compared to 2019 due to, in large part, an increase in traumas, emergency room visits, drug overdoses and resulting transplants. Over the past three months, the Red Cross said it has delivered about 75,000 more blood products than it expected to meet demand.
Typically, the Red Cross tries to keep a five-day supply of all blood products, including type O blood, which can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is what hospital staff reach for during emergencies when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type.
But the stock of type O blood is now down to about a half-day, said Theo Boots, executive director of the southwest Indiana chapter of the American Red Cross.
“The need for blood is at an all-time high,” Boots said. “…It has kind of created a perfect storm. (Summer) is always a difficult time for us to collect blood, but it seems like it’s even a little bit more challenging this year at this time.”
The shortage has already forced some hospitals in New England to cancel or postpone surgeries, The Associated Press reported.
So far, the blood shortage has not caused Columbus Regional Hospital to delay or postpone surgeries or other procedures, said hospital spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
To respond to the shortage, the Red Cross has announced several blood drives in Bartholomew County over the next week.
A variety of incentives will be offered at the blood drives, including $10 Amazon gift cards, amusement park tickets and embroidered Red Cross hats. However, not all incentive items are available at each blood drive.
