The Community Blood Center has declared a blood emergency for the Greater Kansas City.
It is the second blood emergency in 75 days and fourth in 2022, according to a spokesman.
The region’s blood supply is at a one to two day supply, the spokesman said.
“It isn’t that folks are not donating blood,” Patsy Shipley, vice president of Community Blood Center, said, “but that there is a small group of loyal blood donors who are representing the entire community and shouldering the burden for all.”
The gap between what hospital patients need and the available blood supply is growing, she added.
For over 2.5 years, blood centers across the nation have been struggling, according to the spokesman. There was always a surplus of blood in the U.S., so if one region of the country was short, not-for-profit blood centers could help one another. There is no surplus in the U.S. anymore, according to the spokesman.
Perhaps the most significant contributing factor is the lack of first-time donors, the spokesman stated. As older generations age out of the donor pool and become ineligible to donate, they are not being replaced by donors from younger generations, creating a significant challenge in our ability to meet hospital need. In 2019, CBC saw over 20,000 first-time donors. Now, they are expected to end the year with approximately 9,000 fewer first-time donors, further burdening a blood supply that is already stretched thin, the spokesman stated.
They haven’t had the ideal blood supply of 5-7 days in over 30 months, according to the spokesman.
Community Blood Center is asking the community, especially youth and first-time or former blood donors who have not given in the last few years, to step up and take some of the burden off those that have been giving blood. Even if you cannot donate, you can help the blood center by spreading the word about the critical national shortage and need for local blood donors. Tell your friends, post on social or bring a first-time blood donor.
CBC holds blood drives every day, in addition to their seven area donor centers, in order to reach donors and meet local hospital needs. They are taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms. Additional information on donor eligibility and COVID-19 precautions is available at https://savealifenow.org/donate-blood/covid-19-and-blood-donation/.
To make an appointment at a blood drive, donors can call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.
Some of the upcoming Community Blood Center blood drives in Wyandotte County include:
• Thursday, Oct. 20, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., St. Patrick Catholic Church, parish center, 1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.
• Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., First Christian Church – Bonner Springs, fellowship hall, 148 N. Nettleton, Bonner Springs. To make an appointment, call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.
• Friday, Nov. 11, from 7:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Turner High School, auxiliary gym, 2211 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. To make an appointment, call 877-468-6844 or visit savealifenow.org.
For other mobile blood drives, visit savealifenow.org.