Surgeries could be postponed and patients needing transfusions face dangerous delays after the American Red Cross declared a national blood crisis on Monday, July 27. It is only the second time in the organization's history it has taken that step.

The stakes are local. The Red Cross supplies blood to nearly 45 hospitals across Utah, including facilities that serve Bountiful, Farmington, Woods Cross, and North Salt Lake. Its Type O positive inventory has dropped below a single day's supply, meaning fewer than 24 hours of the most commonly transfused blood type remain on hand nationwide.

"We cannot manufacture blood, and there is no substitute for a donor who takes an hour to give," said Heidi Ruster, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region.

Ruster said the response from donors this month has helped but hasn't been enough to reverse the decline.

The Red Cross reported July 13 that the national blood supply had fallen nearly 25% in one month, with donations declining significantly since late May. Donations have since dropped to a four-year summer low. The organization cites extreme heat, poor air quality, and widespread foodborne illnesses as factors keeping donors away.

Because Type O supplies are critically low, the Red Cross has begun limiting distribution of that blood type to individual hospitals. Type O positive can be given to any patient with a positive blood type, roughly 80% of the population. Type O negative, carried by only about 7% of people, is the universal emergency blood type hospitals rely on when there's no time to test.

The shortage extends beyond the Red Cross. On Friday, July 10, the Red Cross, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies, and America's Blood Centers issued a joint statement calling for more donors, signaling a system-wide strain on the nation's blood supply.

The Red Cross is also experiencing an emergency platelet shortage. Platelets last just five days.

The organization supplies about 40% of the nation's blood to more than 2,500 hospitals and transfusion centers. Roughly two-thirds of Americans are eligible to donate, yet only about 3% do so each year, according to the Red Cross.

How to donate

South Davis County residents can find the nearest appointment through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-733-2767. The Red Cross of Northern Utah operates a fixed donation site in Layton, in addition to mobile blood drives throughout Davis County.

All Utahns who donate blood or platelets through Friday, July 31, will receive a Fandango movie ticket by email, valued at up to $15 including fees.

The only previous national blood crisis was declared in January 2022, during the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic. No end date for the current crisis has been announced.

Upcoming

• Through Friday, July 31: Donate blood or platelets at any Red Cross location and receive a Fandango movie ticket (up to $15 value). Schedule at RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.