The American Red Cross has less than a one-day national supply of type O positive blood and has started rationing distributions to hospitals, prompting the organization to declare only its second national blood supply crisis in 145 years.
Stanford Blood Center, the Stanford Health Care entity headquartered at 3373 Hillview Ave. in Palo Alto, is reporting a critical need for all type O and A blood across its four Bay Area donation sites, according to its website.
The Red Cross escalated an initial blood emergency declared Monday, July 13, to a full crisis on Monday, July 27, after donations fell to a four-year summer low, according to the organization's press release. The only previous crisis declaration came in January 2022, when COVID-19 disrupted blood drives nationwide.
"If just three more donors gave at each blood drive this summer, we could help the blood supply rebound and ensure hospitals have the blood products they need throughout the remainder of the season," Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of donor services for the Red Cross, said in the July 27 announcement.
Why the shortage hit now
Extreme heat, poor air quality, and widespread foodborne illnesses have driven down donor turnout this summer, the Red Cross said. High school and college students, who account for 20% of all blood donors, are away from campus drives during summer months. The Red Cross supplies blood to more than 2,500 hospitals and aims to collect roughly 12,500 units per day.
Blood cannot be stockpiled. Red blood cells must be used within 42 days; platelets expire in five days. Only about 3% of age-eligible Americans donate in a given year, according to the Red Cross.
Where Palo Alto residents can donate
Stanford Blood Center's closest location to Palo Alto is its Menlo Park center at 445 Burgess Drive, Suite 100. The Menlo Park center is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended hours until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. SBC also operates centers in Mountain View (515 South Drive, Suite 20), Campbell, and Dublin.
Appointments can be made at sbcdonor.org or by calling 888-723-7831.
Two incentives are running on overlapping deadlines:
- Red Cross donors who give by Friday, July 31, receive a Fandango movie ticket (up to $15). Those who donate Saturday, Aug. 1, through Aug. 31 receive a $20 Amazon gift card.
- Stanford Blood Center donors who give at any SBC location or mobile drive through July 31 receive a collectible "Grateful for Life" tie-dye T-shirt.
What's at stake locally
Stanford Blood Center supplies blood products to Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, institutions that draw surgical and trauma patients from across the Bay Area. The Red Cross has begun limiting type O blood distributions to individual hospitals.
Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said in the crisis announcement that blood donations are not keeping pace with hospital demand and that type O inventories remain under significant strain. Following the 2022 crisis, the Red Cross implemented safeguards including enhanced hospital planning, with hospitals now scheduling about 65% of their anticipated blood needs in advance. Those measures have not been enough this summer.
Red Cross appointments can be made through the Blood Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-733-2767.
