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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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[–] PrettyLights@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I used to donate a lot and dealt with the harassing phone calls and because I wanted to do my part.

After a series of bad donations where my arm looked like a crime scene, I finally got someone who knew what they were doing with the needle. I remarked how glad I was they got it on the first try and mentioned how bad it usually was. The technician told me with a straight face "oh yeah most of the others are butchers, I'd never donate here". I donate a lot less now.

Red Cross and other orgs if you're reading this, go undercover at your own facilities and you'll see why fewer people are donating.

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

Why are we even considering still donating to these money hungry pieces of shit anyway? Do we not have the technology to donate at your local hospital?

Not a stab at you, OP, just trying to avoid the trainwreck that is the red cross.

[–] PrettyLights@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

I've never seen any advertisement for donating at the hospital and my quick internet searches aren't pulling up anything for my state.

I did find a local blood bank though which might be a better option.