Blood Supply Drops to Serious Shortage

For the second time in less than a year, regional blood supplies have dipped to a critical low, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross said Wednesday.

“It’s looking very serious,” said Cheryle Babbitt, who heads blood donation services for the organization’s Southern California Region. “Usually, there is a slump in the summer, but not this early. We are very concerned.”

Babbitt said vacations and school holidays often make summer donations sluggish, but the existing blood supply is usually sufficient to handle the decline.

This year, the region’s supply never fully recovered from a serious nationwide shortage in January caused by harsh winter weather and a severe flu virus. At the same time last summer, Babbitt said, the Red Cross had about three days’ worth of blood. The current supply is less than is needed for one day.

The desired supply for the most common blood type, 0-positive, is about 1,200 units. Now, the Red Cross has only about 178 units of type O-positive on hand.

The Red Cross blood donation center in Van Nuys, which supplies 22 hospitals in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, usually has at least 275 units of blood in stock. On Wednesday, there were less than 60.

People interested in donating blood can call the Red Cross for the nearest donation site at (800) 974-2113.