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American Red Cross is in need of more donors American Red Cross is in need of more donors

As the supply decreases, the demand for blood may increase

By Sunny Tsai

Carl:They’re always asking for more, they never get enough.
Reporter: The American Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Liverpool is open seven days a week so people can come in to donate their blood. But as winter comes, the donated blood supply is running low as the need for blood may be rising.
Carl:There are more disasters, single family fires, apartment fires, happen during the winter and the holiday season.
Melanie: There’s a lot of car accidents, and a lot of, mother nature with all of the clips and storms, and you know, everything like that.
Reporter: With the increase in demand, it doesn’t help that the supply of blood also decreases during this time.
Without enough donations, surgeries can be delayed and patients will not get the blood or platelets that they need.
With schools letting out for breaks, one Red Cross Staff says the usual blood donors aren’t around to donate.
Melanie: The majority of our products are from college kids and high school students, and then you got to think a lot of people are doing traveling and stuff like that for the holidays, so it’s kind of hard for people to schedule the time to actually come in and donate.
Reporter: Many of the scheduled blood drives are also cancelled.
Melanie:A lot of times these drives do get cancelled because of the snow, weather. It’s a lot more, you’re taking more of a risk sending people out to those drives than anything. Nine times out of ten, it is the weather that does the cancelling of the drives.
Reporter:The amount of blood donations received just might make the difference for the receiving patients.
Melanie: You’re looking at cancer patients, burned victims…it’s just, it’s somebody’s life.

The holiday season is a time of giving, and the American Red Cross is hoping you will give.

With the cold weather coming into town, the national organization is urgently looking for blood donors this holiday season.The American Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Liverpool is open seven days a week, even through holidays  so that people can come in to donate their blood.

But as winter approaches, the donated blood supply is running low as the need for blood may be rising.

According to 20 year Madison County Red Cross Volunteer Carl Carlstead, “there are more disasters, single family fires, apartment fires, happen during the winter and the holiday season.”

The increase in demand for blood is met unbalanced by the deficit of the blood supplied. Without enough donations, surgeries can be delayed and patients will not get the blood or platelets that they need.

With schools letting out for breaks, Liverpool Red Cross Staff Melanie Amodei says the usual blood donors are not around or do not have time to donate.

“The majority of our products are from college kids and high school students, and then you got to think a lot of people are doing traveling and stuff like that for the holidays, so it’s kind of hard for people to schedule the time to actually come in and donate,” Amodei said.

Many of the scheduled blood drives are also cancelled because of the weather. The blood that is collected in these local areas including Syracuse and Madison County, is sent to Rochester to be tested.

“A lot of times these drives do get cancelled because of the snow, weather. It’s a lot more, you’re taking more of a risk sending people out to those drives than anything. Nine times out of ten, it is the weather that does the cancelling of the drives,” Amodei said.

For more information on your local blood drives, visit the Red Cross website to donate.

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