CHARLOTTE — The American Red Cross is in need of donations due to a nationwide blood shortage.
The organization said the distribution of blood products to hospitals is outpacing the blood donations that are being made.
It provides around 40% of the blood hospitals use across the country.
The Red Cross said supply levels fell nearly 25% in early August because of a drop in donations and back-to-back environmental disasters.
It needs to collect more than 12,000 donations daily to meet patient needs.
Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with Sharonne Hayes, the regional communications manager for the American Red Cross, about the shortage.
She said it could impact those who need blood or depend on blood transfusions.
“Nobody ever really understands the need for blood until they’re in a situation where they will need it. Whether they’re accident victims, cancer patients, or sickle cell patients as well. We always say there is always a constant need for blood. It has to consistently be coming in in order to make sure that we’re best supporting our local hospitals and everybody who needs that help,” Hayes explained.
Channel 9 reached out to OneBlood, another large blood donation, to see if they’re also experiencing a shortage as well. A spokesperson said they are not experiencing a blood shortage at this time.
Those who wish to donate blood can do so in three ways: by making an appointment at redcrossblood.org, calling 1-800-Red-Cross, or by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor app.
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