At a time when hospitalizations are skyrocketing, life-saving blood supply is at a record low.
Jackie Grant, the executive director of the American Red Cross in Southwest Virginia, said that nationwide its blood supply is the lowest it’s been in 10 years.
“We’ve been facing the most dire blood inventory challenge,” said Grant.
Donations have been down during pandemic; people are sick, Red Cross is facing staffing shortages and winter weather is canceling blood drives—driving the supply even lower.
Shelves at hospitals are emptier than ever.
“A big hospital like ours needs a constant supply of blood products,” said Dr. Rob Jarrett, LewisGale’s Medical Director of Pathology and Clinical Laboratories. He said the hospital’s feeling the effects of the shortage, too.
“We’ve had low blood supply throughout the pandemic and this is the worst that it’s been throughout the pandemic,” said Jarrett.
He said the low supply means they need to save blood for the sickest patients.
“Probably our number one user of blood products are cancer patients,” said Jarrett.
Jarrett said that LewisGale’s strategy is to look ahead and keep in constant communication with the Red Cross.
“We look at our surgery schedule and we look at our patient census and we anticipate our need for blood products,” said Jarrett.
For now, the hospital is getting by. LewisGale’s Market Director Christopher Finley released a statement to 10 News that reads:
Jarrett said that if the shortage gets worse, they’d have to take new steps.
“We’d have to take more drastic measures like delaying elective surgeries,” said Jarrett.
Grant said doctors shouldn’t have to pick and choose who gets blood.
“That’s a really serious situation to be in,” said Grant. “So we need volunteer donors to make their appointments today.”
Jarrett wants you to remember:
“Blood products are often the difference between life and death,” said Jarrett. “Giving blood or blood products is absolutely the easiest way to make a positive, major difference in the world.”