The Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood and platelets in an effort to replenish the low summer blood supply.
ANN ARBOR, MI (UM University Health) - The Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood and platelets in an effort to replenish the low summer blood supply.
The supply of lifesaving blood is short nationwide.
The supply of lifesaving blood is short nationwide. The organization says its national blood inventory plummeted more than 25% in July. Officials at the blood bank at the University of Michigan say this summer has been more difficult than most.
"We do typically experience a lull in blood donation during the summer, and that's due to phenomena like school being out and people going on summer vacation. But just looking at the trend of donations generally, we have noticed a general decline in blood donations over the last several years," said Jennifer Jones, M.D., associate director of the Michigan Medicine Blood Bank.
The organization says its national blood inventory plummeted more than 25% in July.
When a blood shortage hits, hospitals across the country may need to triage blood products to ensure they have enough for emergency situations. This can lead to some delays for less urgent cases or dividing blood products to get to more patients. The chair of cardiac surgery at UM Health says every donation matters.
"Donating blood is essential in order to save lives. It's easy. It doesn't cost anything. All it takes is a bit of time. What's amazing about the human body is that whatever blood you donate, our own bodies recreate blood, so your blood counts will essentially become normal in a few weeks," stated Gorav Ailawadi, M.D., M.B.A., chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at UM Health.
The pool of eligible donors has expanded in recent years; if you were told in the past you could not donate due to tattoos, piercings, sexual preference, or travel, check online to see if you can now make a donation.
