County of Nelson recently issued the following announcement.
American Red Cross Central Virginia Chapter Boll Drive
August 1 @ 1:00 pm
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The American Red Cross is experiencing a severe blood shortage as the number of trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries rise – and deplete the nation’s blood inventory. Today, there is great hospital demand for blood as patients who previously deferred care during the COVID-19 pandemic present with more advanced disease progression, therefore requiring increased blood transfusions. Hospitals are also responding to an atypically high number of traumas and emergency room visits, as well as overdoses and resulting transplants. In comparison to 2019, the Red Cross has
seen red cell demand from trauma centers climb by 10% in 2021 – more than five times the growth of other facilities that provide transfusions.
Unfortunately, as a result of this shortage, some hospitals are being forced to slow the pace of elective surgeries until the blood supply stabilizes, delaying crucial patient care.
The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors of all races and ethnicities to give blood or platelets to increase the diversity of the blood supply. Blood type, like eye color, is an inherited trait passed genetically from parents. The vast majority of blood types fall into one of the major ABO groups, but for some patients with rare blood types, blood must be matched closely, beyond the primary A, B, O and AB blood types. Blood given to patients with rare blood types must be matched very closely to reduce the risk of developing complications from transfusion therapy.
The Red Cross is committed to maintaining a diverse blood supply to ensure the right blood product is available at the right time, and every blood and platelet donor has an important role in meeting that need.
Blood transfusion is a known treatment for patients with sickle cell disease – the most common genetic blood disease in the U.S. – and diverse donors play a big part in their treatment. In the U.S., about 100,000 people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds are living with sickle cell disease, most of whom are of African or Latino descent. Sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to be hard and crescent-shaped instead of soft and round. As a result, blood has difficulty flowing smoothly and carrying oxygen to the rest of the body, which may lead to severe pain, tissue and organ damage, acute anemia and even strokes.
Original source can be found here.
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