<\/p>\n
A nationwide blood shortage has blood collection organizations teaming up to make a plea for donors to help.<\/p>\n
That includes national organizations such as the Red Cross, as well as independent facilities like Community Blood Bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, which are working to maintain a safe blood supply during one of the most challenging times of the year.<\/p>\n
Summer vacations and an increase in traumatic injuries are combining to put a strain on the nation\u2019s blood supply, prompting blood donation organizations to urge people to schedule and keep their donation appointments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do typically see a dip, but this year has been really hard,\u201d said Megan Solensky, communications and marketing director for Community Blood Bank.<\/p>\n
Blood centers across the country are feeling the pressure. Solensky said national organizations, including the Red Cross, the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB), and America\u2019s Blood Centers, recently issued a joint statement highlighting the severity of the shortage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the Red Cross, AABB, and the American blood centers all put out a joint statement saying, \u2018Hey, we know it\u2019s bad in the summer, but this past month we are struggling to keep up,\u2019\u201d Solensky said.<\/p>\n
The appeal has resonated with local donors like Heather Corbin, who responded after receiving an email alert about critically low participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did get an email saying that there had only been one donor one day, and I thought that was just really sad, so I tried to make an effort to come in,\u201d Corbin said.<\/p>\n
For Ron White, the need is personal and professional. White works 12-hour shifts in the operating room at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital and regularly sees firsthand how important a steady blood supply can be. He is also a double red cell donor, giving two units of blood every 120 days.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually works out better for me,\u201d White said. \u201cIt\u2019s only two or three times a year that I\u2019m allowed to donate. I can usually find the time, and when I\u2019m in early, it\u2019s easy to stop and get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every morning, Community Blood Bank ships blood products to hospitals throughout the region. On particularly busy days, however, hospitals often call back requesting additional supplies as demand continues to rise.<\/p>\n
Officials say every donation, regardless of blood type, helps ensure that hospitals have the resources they need to care for patients.<\/p>\n
Corbin said her own family\u2019s experiences motivated her to donate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have two kids, and one was once in the hospital,\u201d she said. \u201cI like to think that if any of my loved ones were in the hospital, there would be blood when they needed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
White hopes others who are eligible will consider becoming donors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe benefits far outweigh anything else, and people are in dire need,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have the opportunity and you meet the requirements, certainly, if you can donate, you certainly should.\u201d<\/p>\n
Community Blood Bank officials encourage anyone who is eligible to make an appointment and donate, especially during the busy summer months when supplies are under increased pressure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A nationwide blood shortage has blood collection organizations teaming up to make a plea for donors to help.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[104006,24152,47886,100675,24153,75691,136,138,137,6111,2303,5888,3668],"class_list":["post-242643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-erie","tag-aabb","tag-blood-donation","tag-blood-shortage","tag-blood-supply","tag-community-blood-bank","tag-donor","tag-erie","tag-erie-headlines","tag-erie-news","tag-hospital","tag-public-health","tag-red-cross","tag-summer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}