Shortage of blood donors affects local supply
An emergency plea for help from the American Red Cross this week blamed the July 4 holiday celebrations for the lack of donors.
BloodSource, the largest supplier of donor blood from Merced to Chico, issued a similar appeal on Tuesday, saying that their reserves had dropped to 5,000 pints below the amount needed to satisfy this month’s demand from hospitals.
BloodSource predicts that they will only collect 20,700 pints of blood in July, far below the 25,400 pints needed for the region’s hospitals. Their donation centers only received 950 donors in the first three days of July, compared to the 18,000 donors in May 2016.
The Red Cross always seems to have a shortage of blood donors during the summer, according to Registered Nurse Amy Perreira, who supervised a blood drive at Hutchins Street Square.
Summer brings a higher rate of recreational accidents, which leads to a greater demand for blood donors that is not always met, Perreira explained.
“More people going outside means less people coming in to donate,” Perreira said.
The Stockton branch of the Red Cross, which serves the Lodi area, acquired the Delta Blood Bank on March 1, but did not consolidate all of the donor contacts, which initially led to an additional shortage, although Perreira says that the blood bank has actually seen an increase of donors in the past three months. Hutchins Street Square hosts a blood drive every Wednesday, and sees around 30 donors per week.
Anybody older than 17 who is in good health may donate blood, and 16year-olds may donate with parental consent. Blood and platelet donors who are 18 or younger must weigh at least 110 pounds, and all donors must be sober at the time of their donation. Potential donors must wait 12 months after receiving an amateur tattoo or piercing, but there is no wait if the donor went to a professional shop that uses single-use needles and ink. Intravenous drug users may not donate blood.
“We want anyone who can to come in and give,” said Perreira.