There is a blood shortage in America. This blood shortage is the worst that American hospitals and organizations have endured in over a decade, and they need help. The Red Cross has even declared a national blood crisis for the first time in its history. The donation of life-saving blood is one of the only ways that the general public can directly help health care facilities and cause an immediate and lasting change in the lives of those who need it. This blood is especially necessary to help individuals with lasting conditions, like Sickle Cell Anemia, as well as the victims of traumatic injuries as they are rushed to emergency rooms across the country. Medical professionals have now had to decide “who should get blood, and who needs to wait.”
This shortage has been caused by a combination of the coronavirus, the Baby Boomer generation beginning to age out of donation, and “[the Baby Boomers] not being replaced by the younger generation.” Dr. Baia Lasky, the medical director of the Red Cross, also says that "Winter weather across the country and the recent surge of COVID-19 cases are compounding the already-dire situation facing the blood supply.” With the coronavirus has come staff shortages of healthcare workers across disciplines, as these professionals are stretched thin by Covid cases and an increasingly aging population. This has impacted the collection of blood in blood drives, but there are still many blood donation centers open today.
In an effort to encourage people to donate blood, various companies and organizations have been offering gifts and prizes to individuals who have donated. One such company is Krispy Kreme, which gave a free dozen of donuts to anyone who could prove that they donated blood in January. Another company getting in on the action is Amazon which, during the month of February, has pledged to email a $10 Amazon gift card to anyone who “donates blood, plasma, or platelets with the Red Cross.”
Dr. Lasky says, "Blood cannot be manufactured or stockpiled . . . It's really the blood on our shelves that we have today that saves lives today." There is no alternative to blood, and it has a short shelf life. There are a few ways that we can all help in this crisis: we can make appointments to give blood through organizations like the Red Cross and AABB, we can volunteer to support blood drives and blood banks, and we can even host a blood drive right here in the community. One very immediate way you can help today is by signing up to donate blood on February 23, from 1:00 to 6:45 pm in the Pioneer Memorial Church commons, and asking your friends to consider doing the same. By coming, you will receive an Amazon gift card, and you could be giving life to someone who truly needs it.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.