Red Cross issues call for St. Croix, Polk County donors

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The American Red Cross blood supply has reached emergency levels with 50,000 fewer donations than expected in June.

This shortfall leaves the Red Cross with half the readily available blood products on hand now than this time last year.

The Red Cross is calling on all eligible blood donors to roll up a sleeve and give as soon as possible. All blood types are needed, but especially O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative in order to meet patient demand this summer.

An unseasonably early start to spring may be a contributing factor to this year’s decrease in donations. Many regular donors got an early start on summer activities and aren’t taking time to give blood or platelets.

In addition, this year’s mid-week Independence Day holiday has reduced the number of scheduled Red Cross blood drives. Many sponsors, especially businesses, are unable to host drives because employees are taking extended vacations.

Unfortunately, patients don’t get a holiday from needing blood products. The need is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion. Blood and platelets are needed for many different reasons, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, premature babies – when there are complications during childbirth – and for patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.

“Every day, the Red Cross must collect more than 17,000 pints of blood for patients at more than 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country. Of that, the North Central Blood Services Region must collect approximately 650 pints per day,” said Geoff Kaufmann, CEO of the American Red Cross North Central Blood Services Region, serving Minnesota, western Wisconsin and eastern South Dakotas. “We need donors to make appointments in the coming days and weeks to help us ensure that all patient blood needs can be met. Each pint of whole blood can help save more than one life.”

A local physician who often used donated blood to save the lives of children during his career as a pediatric anesthesiologist was diagnosed with end stage pancreatic cancer last year. His treatment required blood transfusions to extend his life so that he could spend time with his three young sons. He never thought he would be on the receiving end of needing blood. Because of the generous volunteer Red Cross blood donors, blood products have helped save his life.

This story highlights just how important each and every blood donation can be. Because of that, the Red Cross is extending blood drive hours and reaching out to eligible blood donors, sponsors and community leaders to ask them to recruit blood donors to help meet the needs of patients in communities across the United States.

Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information.

A blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. 

Upcoming blood drives include:

Polk County: Wednesday, July 11, 12:30 to 6:30 p.m., Osceola High School, 1111 Oakridge Drive, Osceola; Friday, July 13, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., Wal-Mart, 2212 Glacier Drive, St. Croix Falls.

St. Croix County: Monday, July 9, 1-6 p.m., Rock and Tait Exteriors, LLC, 596 Outpost Circle, Hudson; Thursday, July 12, 1-7 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 502 County Rd UU, Hudson.

Tags: health, wisconsin