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Blood donations have fallen to catastrophic levels. Experts say young people need to step up. (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world

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Changes to the requirements for donating blood coupled with the pandemic have led to a drop-off in the number of teens and young adults donating blood.

It was a white T-shirt bearing the likeness of Snoopy wearing shades and leaning effortlessly against the iconic American Red Cross logo that prompted a surge in blood donations in the spring of 2023.

“Be cool. Give blood,” the shirt urged. The message — on young people, anyway — was effective. More than 70,000 people under age 35 responded to the call, rolling up their sleeves and giving blood in exchange for the coveted tees.

The need for blood is urgent. Over the holidays, the Red Cross had 7,000 fewer units of blood available than were needed by hospitals, said Dr. Eric Gehrie, the executive medical director of the American Red Cross. The organization speculated it would need about 8,000 additional donations every week in January to ensure that hospitals are fully supplied, he added.

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[–] TheFriendlyDickhead@lemm.ee 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I donate blood regulary and I actually enjoy the process. Where I donate they are all very kind and afterwards I can sit in a room with endless food and drinks. I even get a little bit of money for my troubles. Would recommend just giving it a try. If it's not for you nobody blames you if you never do it again.

Edit: An extra is that they check your blood for a lot of stuff and if they find something you know very early and can treat it easily. Free blood checkup.

[–] cujo@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Where is this that you get paid for blood donation? That sounds like a reasonable thing to do

[–] TheFriendlyDickhead@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago

Im donating at a hospital in germany. A plus is that they only use my blood to actually help people in that hospital and don't sell any of it to big pharma.