During an unprecedented blood shortage, the Aggieville Blood Drive stands as a blood donation opportunity for those who were unable to donate over the holiday season due to illness, travel or unpredictable weather.
All students and community members who are eligible to donate blood can do so Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rally House in Aggieville.
The holiday season can often influence a shortage in the medical supply of blood, which is now prompting the American Red Cross to issue an emergency call for blood donors to give now.
Jan Hale, regional communications director for the Red Cross, said via email that “because blood is a perishable product that can only be supplied by generous volunteers, any disruptions to blood donations — whether from holidays, severe winter weather or even widespread flu — could cause delays in lifesaving medical treatments this winter.”
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Hale said the current blood shortage is a trend seen nationally.
“For some reason, people just didn’t donate, which is understandable for this busy time of year,” Hale said. “Now, we are urging people to roll up their sleeves and give as soon as they can.”
The Red Cross currently has less than a three-day supply of most blood types on hand. A five-day or more supply is what is typically needed to respond to emergencies and daily hospital needs. Currently, more blood products are being used than are coming in.
“Many people may not realize that blood products are perishable, and the only source of lifesaving blood for patients is volunteer blood donors,” Cliff Numark, senior vice president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said in a press release. “When donations decline — as they did around the holidays and may further decline if severe winter weather and flu season pick up — lifesaving medical treatments could be delayed.”
This will be the ninth blood drive in Aggieville since 2015, Kristi Ingalls, Red Cross regional account manager, said.
“We partner with Aggieville in both January and August to host drives,” Ingalls said. “It is a great partnership that we appreciate very much and are thankful for their support.”
To donate, appointments can be made by calling 1-800-733-2767, visiting redcrossblood.org or using the Blood Donor app.
Volunteers are needed to assist in setting up and running the blood drive as well, Hale said. To cover a shift, contact Ingalls by email at kristi.ingalls@redcross.org or text 316-641-3972.
