Blood Banks Report Critical Shortage as Holiday Donations Drop Across Nation

Donation centers saw a sharp decline in donors during the holidays. This created a serious shortage. Hospitals still needed blood, but fewer people showed up to give. OneBlood in Tampa and Mississippi Blood Services in Flowood issued urgent calls for help as their supplies dwindled.

Pat Michaels with OneBlood explained that holiday travel pulled donors away. Busy schedules didn't help either. "We have donors that come into the donor center here and will donate platelets that will go to a cancer patient within five days," said Michaels, per FOX 13 News.

A car-crash victim might require up to 100 units to survive, doctors say. Difficult childbirths drain supplies too. So do surgeries and cancer treatments. Every hospital depends on stocked shelves, ready when patients arrive.

Type O, A-, and B- were running lowest. Mississippi Blood Services needed Type O and Type B most — both get used in emergencies when there's no time to test.

"The patients inside the hospitals need the blood and, right now, the blood is not readily available," said Kasey Dixon with Mississippi Blood Services in Flowood, according to WLBT. "Donating blood is not a priority as it normally is during the rest of the year."

One whole-blood donation helps up to three people. Technicians separate it into red cells, plasma, and platelets. Each part goes to a different patient based on what doctors ordered.

Dixon made a key point: donated products can't be manufactured. "If we do not have the individual or the donor to come in, we don't have the blood going onto the shelves and into the hospitals with the patients that need that," Dixon said. Without donors, shelves stay empty.

Medical staff warn that supplies used in emergencies were donated days before tragedy struck, not after. Keeping stock consistent saves lives when seconds count.

Both organizations offered rewards to bring people in. Mississippi Blood Services handed out T-shirts sponsored by Priority One that read "Banking on The Gift of Life" while they lasted. OneBlood lets donors track where their blood went and sometimes sends thank-you messages from patients or medical providers.

Anyone wanting to donate can check websites for current hours and locations. Schedules change during the holidays.