Red Cross seeing blood shortage in area during summer

The height of summer and winter can be a difficult time to get people to give what the American Red Cross needs to help what many others need to recover from injury and illness.

Blood donations to the organization often fall off when the holidays hit -- regular donors often get busy with gatherings, go out of town to visit family and friends, or don't leave the house as frequently when the weather is too hot or too cold.

This summer has been no different, said Tara Lincoln, a donor recruitment representative with the American Red Cross. Lincoln recruits donors in eight Southeast Missouri counties and helps to set up local blood drives based on the need for blood as reported by area health facilities.

June was especially tough for the organization.

The Red Cross issued a call to donors for help late last month when the national blood supply reached what the organization called an "emergency level" with 50,000 fewer donations than expected.

The Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region, which serves areas of Missouri, Illinois and Kansas, including Southeast Missouri, needs to collect around 800 pints of blood per day to meet demand, according to a news release. The Red Cross needs O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative blood in particular.

Lincoln said she believes the recent heat wave is partially to blame for lower collection levels locally.

"I've noticed that in our area when there is a blood drive that people aren't getting out as much," she said.

Another factor in the shortage likely has to do with businesses being less able to host drives because many employees are taking vacations in the summer, and schools don't hold drives as often when classes aren't in session.

"For a lot of students, getting out of class when a blood drive is at their school is a kicker," Lincoln said. "So when we don't have the donations from the school drives, we always see a dip."

Students are among the groups who will almost always donate if a blood drive is in a convenient location for them, such as their school, but don't when one isn't.

There are exceptions, however, such as Miranda Estes, 19, of Chaffee, Mo., who began donating blood three years ago at a high school event and has continued to do so every time she has been physically eligible. Estes is among about 7 percent of people who have O negative blood, which is most preferred for accident victims and babies needing exchange transfusions, according to the Red Cross.

Estes donates blood every 60 days, most of the time at local drives. People can safely give a pint of blood about every 56 days. She said she made the decision to give blood on a regular schedule after her mother was injured a few years ago and needed a blood transfusion.

She invites others join her often, she said, but usually isn't successful.

"Every time there is a blood drive I try to get people to give with me," she said.

Lincoln said if current donors gave blood one more time than they do now annually basis that the shortage would be over. The Red Cross estimates that only 3 to 5 percent of people give blood. The organization is also in need of platelet donors of all types.

Appointments to give blood can be made by calling the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 or online by visiting www.redcrossblood.org.

eragan@semissourian.com

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