FARMINGTON, Conn. — The American Red Cross says they're experiencing an emergency summer blood shortage, and are reaching out to the community for help.
And it's not just local blood banks having an issue.
"There is a severe shortage of blood. It happens every summer, and this summer is unique," explained Richard Branigan, Chief Operating Officer with the American Red Cross. "With the pandemic, things have been dynamic to say the least."
Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz spoke outside the Farmington American Red Cross Wednesday morning, where she emphasized the importance of Connecticut residents stepping up to donate.
"The Governor and I, today, want to strongly encourage donors of all blood types to step forward and give one of the most precious gifts that you can," she said.
Lt. Governor Bysiewicz shared a story about her own mother-in-law, who needed regular blood transfusions during a battle with Lymphoma. Since she passed in 2006, the Lt. Governor's husband has been donating blood every few months in honor of his mother.
"We all, I think, take it for granted sometimes, that there will be blood available when we need it. But people donate that blood. It isn't created in a lab. It is donated by people," UConn Interim President and UConn Health CEO Dr. Andy Agwunobi said.
This blood shortage, he said, has put emphasis on blood conservation strategies.
Branigan says that with elective surgeries on the rise, people postponing travel, and a heightened amount of trauma cases, the need for blood now is higher than normal.
Typically, the Red Cross strives to have a five day supply of blood on hand but they have recently been battling to even have a single day's supply on hand.
“We haven’t seen anything like this in about 30 or 40 years at least,” Dr. Vishesh Chhibber, director of transfusion medicine at UMass Memorial Health, told the Boston Globe last month.
On their website, the Red Cross said that in comparison to 2019, they have seen red cell demand from hospitals with trauma centers climb by 10% in 2021 – more than five times the growth of other facilities that provide transfusions.
The Red Cross said blood is perishable and cannot be stockpiled.
To register to donate, or for a list of donation locations, you can visit them online at RedCrossBlood.org.
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.