Storms and flu causing blood-donor shortage

Blood donations are down, just as the demand is up, worried American Red Cross officials said Friday.

The storms on the East Coast forced 550 blood drives to be canceled. That means more than 16,000 blood and platelet units were not collected. Plus, according to Jennifer Shaw, donor recruitment manager for the Red Cross in Bend, the flu has been especially vicious this year, meaning regular donors stayed home, as well as the blood bank staff.

“As you know, the flu is going around, and it’s a pretty bad strain this year, so a lot of our regular donors have been ill, some of our staff have been ill, ” Shaw said. “So that definitely impacts our ability to collect what we need right now,”

The Red Cross wants to spread the word that more blood is needed, and aside from some health rules, most people can donate.

“Your blood type is determined at birth. For donating blood, you just need to be well-hydrated and nutritional meals heading into your donation. But it doesn’t matter where you come from, class, or anything, so it’s all good,” Shaw said.

The Pacific Northwest is considered an export region. So as soon as our hospital demands are met, the blood is shipped to the East Coast to help hospitals there. The reason we’re considered an export region is because of the high number of people willing to take the time to donate, including Bend resident Regan Eastland.

“I can’t imagine being in a position to need this or having your children or having someone you love to be sick or need platelet donations,” Eastland said. “You think of all the people who are in need of it. I just feel like I’m able and willing to do it, so it’s just not a big deal for me.”

There are eight different types of blood. Thirty-eight percent of people in the U.S are O-positive and only 1 percent are AB-negative. O-negative can donate to anyone and AB-positive can receive blood from anyone.

“Our donors are very giving in this community, so we’re asking them to step up, because when we meet our demands locally, we can ship product back East to support other hospitals,” Shaw said.

In order to donate blood, you need to weigh at least 110 pounds and not have any infectious diseases. Also, if you are taking certain medications, you may not be able to donate.

“Not all people are good with needles,” Eastland said. “It doesn’t bother me at all. And I always think I’d rather be on this end of it than on the needing end of it.”

For information about who can donate and when and where to donate you can head to the American Red Cross website: https://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements/eligibility-criteria-topic