The national blood supply is so low that the American Red Cross has declared its first ever national blood crisis. In hopes of encouraging people to roll up their sleeves and donate, the organization is offering a trip to the Super Bowl. There’s been a 10 percent decline of donated blood since the pandemic began, blood drives canceled and staffing shortages, according to the ARC. Blood centers across the country have reported less than a day’s supply of some critical blood types over the past several weeks, according to a Jan. 11 joint statement from the ARC, America's Blood Centers and the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies. Some types of medical care can wait, but others can’t. Hospitals continue to see accident victims, cancer patients, people with blood disorders and individuals seriously ill that need blood transfusions to live, according to ARC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pampee Young. All blood types are needed. O-positive and O-negative are of particular need as well as platelet donations. The ARC is also in need of volunteers for blood drives and transporting blood to hospitals. People who donate blood until Jan. 31 will be entered to win two tickets to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, round-trip airfare, three nights of lodging and a $500 gift card for expenses. (Source: WWL 01/11/22)
Mississippi Note: Leaders with Mississippi Blood Services (MBS) said blood donors are increasingly harder to come by now. The dip in donated blood is hitting hospitals hard, and patients are being told they have to wait. "We need to see anywhere from 200 to 250 donors every day to meet those needs. Right now, we’re seeing about 100 to 150 donors,” said Merle Eldridge with MBS. The Donor Recruitment and Mobile Collections Director said the Flowood HQ is unable to deliver regular blood supplies to hospitals due to a lack of inventory. “One donation, an hour of your time, can be the life-or-death difference to someone in need,” said Eldridge. (Source: WJTV 01/12/22)
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