Start the new year with community service and give blood

Hoxworth Blood Center says it needs more donors to get the region’s hospitals safely into 2022, and nationally, the American Red Cross has called the blood supply at one of its lowest points ever, threatening health care.

Hoxworth needs 450 donors a day to meet the demand for blood and blood products from more than 30 hospitals in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana, spokeswoman Jackie Marschall said. The blood center collects more than 90,000 units of blood every year.

In general, winter depresses blood-donor turnout, Marschall said. “Hoxworth’s blood supply is stable, but as this week continues, we need donors to help us protect the blood supply through the new year.”

Donors who make and keep appointments Dec. 30 and 31 will get a $10 e-commerce card as a token of appreciation. Hoxworth has seven donor centers across the region. Appointments are preferred. Masks are required of everyone.

To schedule a donation, call 513-451-0910 or visit www.hoxworth.org.

At the American Red Cross, officials issued a Dec. 13 alarm that the overall blood supply nationally “has reached one of its lowest levels in recent years. Blood centers across the country are reporting less than a one-day supply of blood — a dangerously low level.”

“Some hospitals have already been forced to alter treatment for some patients or cancel some patient surgeries due to blood supply challenges,” the Red Cross statement said.

Pandemic shutdowns to workplaces meant cancellation of blood drives and only limited numbers of people allowed access to an indoor space, the agency said. But also cutting into donations has been “misinformation regarding donor eligibility after receiving an authorized COVID-19 vaccine.”