The Red Cross has declared a national blood supply crisis after blood donations fell to a four-year low this summer. Extreme heat is one environmental factor affecting donations.
The West has been hit with extreme wind much of this summer. Phoenix and Las Vegas are bearing the brunt, with temperatures exceeding 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, and heat spreading further north as well.
That extreme heat is affecting blood donations, says Rachel Flannigan, with the Southern Nevada chapter of the Red Cross. Other environmental issues, like air quality and flooding, are complicating the situation. People are simply venturing out less.
"We are compounding those factors with things like wildfires and monsoon flows that are creating flooding conditions, and the factors build upon each other, which actually prevent people from getting to a blood drive," said Flannigan.
Adding to the complicating factors, dwindling blood supplies, which only last 42 days, in one state can impact another as the organization tries to fulfill local hospital needs.
"Every day that we don't have enough blood on the shelves, that is a crisis. And we never want a hospital to experience that. And every person's experience in that moment, in a hospital, is a crisis. And we want to make sure we're avoiding that or from compounding that." Flannigan explained.
Blood donations fell by 25% during June, according to the Red Cross. Their analysis shows there's "less than a one-day supply of type 0 positive blood," which is the most common blood type used in transfusions.
People wanting to donate can visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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