Blood centers facing severe shortage after slow holiday week

Blood centers are experiencing a severe shortage of donations after a slow Fourth of July week and need donors immediately.

Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin, which provides blood to every hospital in southeast Wisconsin, will have only a half-day supply by the end of the week if donations continue on the current path, public relations director Fay Spano said.

“It could become troubling by the weekend if we don’t get the needed appointments,” Spano said.

And the Red Cross on Tuesday issued “an emergency call” for people of all blood types to donate to prevent delays in medical care.

It’s always difficult in the summer months to keep up with the desired supply — at minimum, three days’ worth, Spano said. Versiti typically sees a 10% to 20% drop in donations and drives.

Summer presents a unique challenge: the high school and college blood drives that do a lot of the heavy lifting for centers’ supplies aren’t happening, and hospitals receive more trauma victims from car crashes, shootings and other accidents.

In June, the Red Cross saw 24,000 fewer donations than needed across the country.

So as people traveled last week and celebrated the Fourth of July, Versiti and Red Cross were hit hard.

In total the Red Cross experienced about 17,000 fewer blood donations than needed for the week. They now have less than a two-day supply for Type O-negative blood and less than a three-day supply for most other blood types.

Versiti in Wisconsin needs 800 people each day to donate blood in order to meet the three-day supply threshold. If that doesn’t happen, it will be left with fewer than 400 units of blood at week’s end to give to the 56 Wisconsin hospitals it serves. It’s especially looking for Type O-negative blood.

“Medical emergencies and critical treatments don’t stop for holiday celebrations. Patients depend on lifesaving blood transfusions every day,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president of Red Cross Blood Services.

To help make up for the shortages, the Red Cross has added about 8,000 additional appointments at blood donation centers and blood drives, the release said.

And Versiti’s call center to donors is running strong to schedule extra appointments, Spano said.

“We rely on the generosity of blood donors,” Spano said. “We really can’t do it alone.”

To find a blood drive or schedule an appointment at a Versiti blood center, call 877- BE A HERO or visit versiti.org/Wisconsin. For Red Cross centers and drives, redcrossblood.org/give.