HOUSTON – Officials said there’s currently a blood supply shortage in hospitals across Texas.
The pandemic, violent crimes and then the freeze on Feb. 2 caused a lot of blood drives to close their doors because of low supply.
The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center said it’s relying on donors like Suzanne Shelby to make their way in and donate.
“I’m an empty nester now and I’ve got time to come in and do something good for others,” Shelby said.
Giving that time is so admirable, and the blood center can guarantee it saves lives.
Right now, they’re supplying local hospitals with enough to keep up with their needs on a day-to-day basis, but there’s no extra supply. Meaning, one unpredicted disaster or weather event and then there will be difficult choices to make.
“Right now, we are actually seeing an increase in usage of hospitals. We’re seeing about an 8% increase overall in total products, and about a 10% in red blood cells. We’re seeing surgery schedules have started to pick up, we’re seeing an increase in trauma patients as well, especially with motor vehicles, crimes and violent crimes,” said Cameron Palmer with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.
At the MD Anderson blood bank, a separate collection site specifically for their own cancer patients, they said the freeze last week kept donors from coming in. They’re specifically in need of more type O blood.
Donor Curtis Carlson is a regular donor because of his universal blood type.
“It takes less than an hour, so I would encourage people who haven’t done it not to be scared of it,” he said.
Only 3% of Americans eligible to donate actually do. The blood center said in addition to needing more donors, they want their previous partners who shut down during the pandemic to host more drives now that they’re open. That includes schools, businesses and churches.