One thing’s for sure, when someone needs blood they need it asap!
Personally I get nervous around too much blood but surely if I was in need, I’d hope there was enough blood available to help me. I’m sure you feel the same.
Hospitals need blood every day, so they need people to donate every day.
The nation’s blood supply is at its lowest level in a year and for the O blood type which is especially needed, that’s at its lowest level in 3 years.
Cliff Numark Sr. VP of Vitalant, the nation’s largest nonprofit independent blood services provider, says blood donations are really critical right now.
(I did not know there was an independent blood service but now I do!)
Vitalent is the nation’s largest independent blood service and second largest overall to the Red Cross. They have 120 donation centers in 28 states serving about 900 Hospitals. They’re exclusively focused on providing comprehensive transfusion medicine services for their hospitals and their patients.
They need about 5,000 blood and platelet donations per day.
Like Cliff said, “It’s something when you need it you need it, it’s like oxygen, you don’t really appreciate it until it’s not there and that’s what we’re trying to fight against.”
While some aspects of life have returned to normal since the height of COVID-19, the blood donation rate has not, leading to more frequent supply shortages.
Vitalant’s blood donor base has dropped by about 20% since 2019 and the nonprofit organization has also experienced a severe drop in blood donations from business blood drives as many people now work remotely.
These worrisome trends – coupled with severe winter weather forcing blood drives to cancel and historic flu levels keeping many donors at home – can lead to blood shortages that could threaten patient care.
Anyone worried about giving blood as to how it will affect them should be reminded that our bodies are amazing in their ability to make more. Giving a pint won’t affect you. But you can only give one pint at a time.
Cliff says, “Were like human biological factories. When you donate a pint of blood, you have to wait 56 days and that allows your body time to regenerate and produce more red blood cells and plasma and you can give blood again then.”
Cliff Newmark knows a whole lot about blood. Prior to joining Vitalant, he led blood operations for more than 16 years at the American Red Cross. In his current role at Vitalant, his job is to oversee the organization’s marketing, communications and outreach to blood and platelet donors, to ensure hospitals have the blood products they need to help patients.
Happy to help him get the bloody word out in this upbeat podcast conversation from The Debbie Nigro Show. (Just please don’t make me look at blood)
For more information please visit Vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL or download the Vitalant app.
