Hurricane Michael’s Latest Impact: Sharp Decline In Blood Donations
Typically, the Red Cross sees a decline in blood donors from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Storms, like Hurricane Michael and Florence have only exacerbated the seasonal declines.
American Red Cross Blood Donors Facebook
In the last two months, the Red Cross has seen a sharp drop in blood donations. And, it’s about to get worse for the rest of the holiday season.
Storms, like Hurricane Michael and Florence, caused a decline in September and October, because the Red Cross had to cancel many blood drives. Now, the group has about 21,000 fewer blood and platelet donations.
Hospitals partnering with the Red Cross called it “a severe blood shortage.”
Red Cross spokeswoman Ronnika McFall said now, it’s about to get worse.
“During the holiday season, a lot of our volunteer donors were away traveling, and they’re not thinking about donating blood right now,” she stated. “So, we have that struggle on top of the hurricanes.”
Typically, the Red Cross sees a decline in blood donors from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.
McFall said there is a critical need for certain blood donors.
“Donors of all blood types are urged to donate now to avoid delays in medical care for patients,” she added. “There is an especially critical need for Type O positive and O negative blood donors.”
For more information, visit RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.
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