Red Cross declares blood emergency as donations hit 20-year low

The American Red Cross is urgently sounding the alarm on an “emergency” shortage of blood donations that can mean “life and death” for patients.

Donations have reached an alarming 20-year low with a 40% dip in contributions, according to the Red Cross, the nation’s largest blood supplier.

“A person needs lifesaving blood every two seconds in our country — and its availability can be the difference between life and death; however, blood is only available thanks to the generosity of those who roll up a sleeve to donate,” Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer of the Red Cross, said in a statement.

Again this year, the organization is even partnering with the National Football League to give away two Super Bowl LVIII tickets in Las Vegas as a way to get more volunteers to take the needle.

Inside the blood donation crisis

The Red Cross said between Christmas and New Year’s Day alone there was a 7,000-unit shortage of blood donations.

“To put the numbers in perspective, we need an additional 8,000 donations every week in January in order to meet current hospital need,” Dr. Eric Gehrie, a Red Cross medical director, told ABC News.

“There is more need for blood at hospitals than we are able to provide at current donation levels, and this is an issue that is really … a long-term problem.”

The low number is likely connected to surges of respiratory illnesses — like COVID-19 and the flu — common in wintertime, according to the non-profit. The organization also blames the growth of remote work as an out-of-sight, out-of-mind factor for people not attending blood drives, too.

The shortage is having powerful negative ramifications for pediatric patients as well. Children use about 652,000 blood components a year, according to America’s Blood Centers.

“The hospital floors are full of kids that need that blood and would otherwise not be able to survive without it,” Ivy Ward, whose 9-year-old son Finn, has fought B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia since 2021, told the Red Cross.

“Just in the last two years, he received more than 25 blood products and he’s just one kid … Without donated blood products, Finn wouldn’t be here today,” she added.

A quarter of donations — only three percent of the population is eligible — are used for cancer patients, per America’s Blood Centers, which also noted that a single donation can aid two more patients in need.

“Survival rates for many cancers and blood diseases are improving, but extended transfusions are often needed during their therapy,” according to Dr. Glenn E. Ramsey, medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Blood Bank.

“Advances in medical care over the years have also increased the need for blood for treatment for many diseases.”

How to win Super Bowl tickets with a blood donation

Until the end of January, a Red Cross donation of blood, plasma or platelets will automatically register a donor into the sweepstakes for February’s big game.

The sweet deal includes round-trip airfare for two people, a three-night hotel stay from Feb. 9 to 12 and a $1,000 gift card — plus access to pre-game festivities at the Las Vegas Raiders’ state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium.

“If everyone does their part together and we collectively as a community commit to donating blood, we also can stack up more wins,” said NFL legend Peyton Manning, who has teamed up with the Red Cross.

“One person alone is certainly impactful, but a whole team of people coming together to donate has an even greater effect.”