SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – It’s no coincidence that the Central New York Red Cross Headquarters is in the same building as a blood donation center.
For over 75 years, they have been a staple of the local region. But now, Executive Director Lisa Smith says, recently, donations have become a major issue for the organization.
“Things started to change for us at the end of August of last year. So, September, October, November into December was really bad,” said Smith.
That shift occurred in August due to Hurricane Idalia hitting Florida hard. The storm meant a ton of blood had to be diverted to that state instead of ending up in Central New York.
The decline in supply exacerbated a growing problem of shortages for the organization. Over the last 20 years, blood donations have declined 40% across the country, according to the Red Cross.
Smith believes a big reason for that shift comes from older generations no longer being an option.
“A lot of them have passed on. And now the younger generation we’re trying to educate and help them understand how important it is to be philanthropic in all different levels,” said Smith.
But the shortages don’t just impact the organization on its own. The Red Cross donates up to 90% of the blood used by Central New York hospitals, according to Smith.
Dr. Henry Friedman of the Syracuse VA Medical Center has seen firsthand just how vital that support can be.
“I remember one case we had in our facility where a single patient received on the order of 110-120 units of special red cell over a period of two years,” said Friedman.
But recently, with all of the blood shortages, Dr. Friedman says taking care of patients like that has been extremely difficult.
And that’s why, as a new hurricane season approaches, he says younger people need to know just how much impact helping the Red Cross has.
“It is, I think, an important civic duty. And everybody in the community might be affected by a disease or condition in which they need it,” said Friedman.
