Blood donations have been steadily decreasing and local hospitals say the drop is putting lives at risk.
Red Cross says South Georgias blood supply has dropped 25% amid summer heat and disasters. Local hospitals and the Red Cross urge donors to give as shortages threaten patient care. Watch the video below to see how you can help. Red Cross declares emergency as South Georgia faces critical 25% blood shortage
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The American Red Cross reports that the national blood supply has fallen more than 25% since the start of hurricane season, calling it one of the most severe shortages in years.
Officials blame a perfect storm of record-setting heat, canceled blood drives, and fewer donors following natural disasters like Hurricane Helene, which forced hundreds of drives to shut down across the Southeast.
Despite the shortage, hospital demand hasnt slowed. Every two seconds, a blood product is used somewhere in the U.S. and Type O Negative, the universal blood type, remains the most in-demand for emergencies and trauma cases.
Jackie Shoemaker, Executive Director of the South Central Red Cross, says emergencies can happen anywhere even when you least expect it.
In April, my husband and I were on a cruise ship when the captain came over the loudspeaker asking for blood donors, Type O Negative and O Positive. You just never know when someone will need blood. Shoemaker says Valdostas Red Cross has kept donations steady for now, but a dip in turnout could worsen supply issues especially at SGMC Health, which uses hundreds of units of blood every month.
Were seeing a lot of people traveling for fall break, and of course, were in hurricane season. Were putting out a plea for folks to come donate at our blood drives and help us keep those numbers up. To help replenish supplies, the American Red Cross will host two local blood drives toward the end of October.
10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Oct. 24 at Barnes Health Care Services, 200 S. Patterson St.
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Oct. 29 at Georgia Christian School, 4359 Dasher Road.
In Valdosta, Im Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
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