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The Red Cross is continuing to face its most drastic blood supply shortage in more than a decade.

The Red Cross is Troy Regional Medical Center’s main source for blood. TRMC held a blood drive on Dec. 28, but the need for more donations remains critical. The staff at Troy Regional is urging people to be aware of local blood drives and contribute as often as possible. 

To find a nearby blood drive, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/. The only requirements are that the donor be 18-years-old and weigh 110-pounds or more to donate blood. TRMC also hosts a drive each month and that the Red Cross requires a minimum of 56 days between blood donations. So, if a person donated as much as possible, they could donate blood every other month, or six times a year.

According to the Red Cross, the shortage was caused by an increase in demand in 2021 because of the number of trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries requiring blood products depleted the nation’s blood inventory.

Many patients deferred elective surgeries during the COVID 19 pandemic and had experienced more disease progression and required an increased number of blood transfusions.

Blood donations also fell dramatically during the recent COVID spike cause by the delta variant and have remained low during the current Omicron spike.