SPOKANE, Wash. — A nation-wide blood shortage has blood donation organizations struggling to meet demands for blood needed in hospitals.
This summer, The American Red Cross issued an emergency blood shortage and announced the national blood supply has dropped by over 25% since July 1.
Blood donation organization, Vitalant, said not enough donors are coming in, even though a majority of the population is eligible to donate blood.
According to Vitalant, 60% of the population is eligible to donate, but only 3% actually do, especially this time of year when many donors are on summer vacation and schools are closed.
Vitalant in Spokane said they need around 200 to 250 donations every day to sufficiently supply local hospitals in the area so that cancer patients, accident victims and transplant patients can receive the care they need.
“These blood shortages are preventable. If every eligible donor donates three times a year, we wouldn’t have shortages like we’re seeing now. It takes an hour, so that’s three hours out of the full year to come in, donate blood, and everybody would be good,” said Erin Baker, donor recruitment manager of Vitalant.
Joy Luck-Cain, a retired Spokane nurse, regularly gives blood ever since her daughter received a life-saving blood transfusion a few years ago.
“She had a perforated stomach, and was taken to surgery. Then I spent the most terrifying night of my life, and four transfusions saved her,” said Luck-Cain.
Luck-Cain said she plans on taking her whole family to Vitalant to donate blood on the anniversary of her daughter’s life-saving transfusion.
Baker said stopping in for an hour can save up to three lives, depending on what you decide to donate.
She also said eligibility requirements have changed a lot in the past few years, so you might now be eligible even if you weren’t previously.
For more information about donating blood at Vitalant in Spokane, click here.
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