Mass. public health officials urge public to give blood amid urgent need for donations

BOSTON — State public health officials are urging the public to give blood as the nation grapples with an urgent need for donations to avoid a crisis.

“Donations are crucial for the blood supply to rebound,” the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a tweet on Tuesday.

In January, the American Red Cross declared its first-ever national blood crisis due to a severe blood shortage resulting from complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said in a statement earlier this month.

One group of people hit particularly hard by this are cancer patients, and that includes pediatric cancer patients. Boston 25 has continued to report on the blood supply shortage throughout the year.

With the shortage, hospitals and physicians have been forced to make difficult decisions about how to best use the limited available supply of donated blood, according to the Red Cross.

“One in seven patients entering the hospital will need a blood transfusion — whether they are accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, or those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease,” the agency said in a statement. “To meet the needs of these patients, the Red Cross must collect approximately 12,500 blood and nearly 3,000 platelet donations every day.”

To donate blood, contact your local hospital blood donor center or visit the American Red Cross website.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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