Northern Nevada is currently down to a two-day supply of blood, according to Humboldt General Hospital (HGH) Wellness Coordinator Billie Lucero Goodale. Nationally, the shortage has reached emergency levels and the only way to combat this problem is through donation.
HGH Laboratory Director Crisanti Rabanes said in an email that “Blood is essential to help patients survive surgeries, cancer, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. This lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation. The need for blood is constant. There are no substitutes for blood, platelets, or plasma—they cannot be manufactured. Patients in need of blood products must rely on donations from people like you.”
HGH works with Vitalitant, a national healthcare service that assists other healthcare organizations with blood supply in order to supply blood and host opportunities to donate.
“To solve the shortage, Humboldt General Hospital and Vitalant are raising awareness and urging individuals to donate blood. All blood types are needed, especially O positive and O negative," Rabanes said. "If you are a donor, or eligible to become a donor, please donate at your nearest center. The ongoing seasonal drop in blood donations has sharply reduced the available blood supply by more than 25%. To support our community, please donate blood; because of you, life doesn’t stop."
Although the shortage of blood nationwide is not creating a dire situation locally yet, the “critically low inventory” means that some hospitals have to make some very tough care decisions.
“If [the blood shortage is] left unresolved, hospitals are limited in their ability to provide care to their patients and providers have to make difficult decisions regarding which patients receive or don’t receive lifesaving blood products. The deficit is severe enough that hospitals are delaying elective procedures as a means to care for patients who need it most,” explained Rabanes.
According to Lucero Goodale, a recent blood drive collected enough units to save up to 91 lives. Humboldt County has multiple opportunities to donate coming up including a drive on Aug. 8 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the West Hall of the Winnemucca Convention Center.
“Make an appointment, complete the health screening and questionnaire, sit back and relax as the specialist preps the area on your arm to insert a sterile needle and allow the blood to be collected. Once complete, refreshments are provided, and you are done!” said Lucero Goodale, speaking to the ease of the act.
Unfortunately, even with the simplicity, Rabanes said an average of only three percent of people in the U.S. choose to donate blood and that number has dropped dramatically since the pandemic as public locations often used for donation were closed and staffing issues and costs heightened significantly.
“The blood product supply chain still hasn’t returned to normal," Rabanes said. "As with everything over the last couple of years, COVID-19 has magnified supply chain volatility, particularly since there were already underlying vulnerabilities. The blood supply chain has been growing increasingly fragile for several decades, and as a result, suppliers have been forced to implement allocations to ensure hospitals are provided with some portion of the limited supply."
Humboldt County has many dedicated donors that really do save lives. Encouraging others to participate in a selfless and simple act such as blood donation can help combat the national shortage and touch the lives of those near and far.
"Our community in Humboldt County is truly incredible in continuing to support the blood drives. So, thank you to all of you that continue to donate and those of you that are just starting,” said Lucero Goodale.