New Jersey officials declared a blood shortage emergency Tuesday, and the Philadelphia region is at risk of one.<\/p>\n
“When a blood emergency is declared, it means our health care system faces real constraints right now in treating patients who need transfusions,” acting New Jersey Health Commissioner Jeff Brown said in a news release.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00a0At Trump’s directive, CDC lowers amount of recommended vaccines for children<\/a><\/p>\n A combination of factors, including the winter holidays, inclement weather and an early and severe\u00a0flu season<\/a>,\u00a0have led to a 40% decline in donations, according to\u00a0New Jersey Blood Services, a network of organizations that collects and distributes blood and blood products in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. It has less than a two-day supply available for the 200 hospitals is serves.\u00a0<\/p>\n Blood donations typically decrease during the holidays and were down even more than expected in recent weeks, said\u00a0Alana\u00a0Mauger, spokesperson for American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n “It would be fair to say we’re on the cusp of a shortage, and trying not to go over it,”\u00a0Mauger said.<\/p>\n There have been more unfilled appointment slots and more people not showing up at appointments than usual at this time of year, Mauger said, but she did not have specific numbers.<\/p>\n Overall, blood donations have fallen about 40% over the past 20 years nationwide related to changes in communities, hospital protocols and lasting impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Red Cross says.<\/p>\n “Blood is needed every single day for trauma care, surgeries, cancer treatment, and chronic conditions, and there is no substitute when donations fall short,” Jeannie Mascolino, vice president of blood operations at New Jersey Blood Services, said in the news release.\n<\/p>\n \nWhole blood donations, used for trauma patients at hospitals and during surgeries, can be refrigerated for 21 to 35 days. Donated platelets, used during cancer treatments, organ transplants and surgeries, only can be stored for up to five days, the\u00a0Red Cross<\/a>\u00a0says.<\/p>\n To be eligible to donate<\/a>, people must be at least 16, weigh at least 116 pounds and be in good health and feeling well. People who meet these criteria can typically donate blood every 56 days, up to six times a year.<\/p>\n “(M)ost people say the reason they haven’t given blood is because they were never asked to give blood, so I always like to say, ‘Consider this an ask,'” Mauger said.<\/p>\n Interested donors can find the nearest blood drives by visiting the Red Cross\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and entering their ZIP codes. People also can download the Red Cross Blood Donor App<\/a>, which notifies donors when \u2014 and where \u2014 their donations are used.\u00a0<\/p>\n