Red Cross declares national blood emergency amid severe summer shortage

The American Red Cross declared a national blood emergency on July 13 as supplies fell about 25% in June and hospital deliveries climbed nearly 3,500 units a week above expectations. The strain is hitting emergency care and scheduled surgeries first, with the sharpest shortages in O positive, B negative and platelets.

Red Cross medical officer Dr. Courtney Lawrence said a readily available blood supply is the backbone of modern medicine, and that patients already in hospitals need blood for critical care without delay. The organization warned that requests from hospitals are outpacing what is available, putting trauma victims, mothers in childbirth and patients with sickle cell disease or cancer at greater risk when transfusions cannot be filled quickly.

The period from Memorial Day to Labor Day is summer trauma season, when injuries often rise and blood use climbs. At the same time, school blood drives drop off, summer schedules become harder to navigate and regular donors are more likely to travel, leaving collection centers with fewer appointments just as demand rises.

The Red Cross supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood and blood components and serves roughly 2,500 hospitals and transfusion centers. Only about 3% of age-eligible Americans donate blood each year, a rate that leaves the system vulnerable when donations slow even briefly.

Eligible donors can book appointments through RedCrossBlood.org, the Blood Donor App or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. Anyone who donates from July 13 through July 31, 2026, will receive a Fandango movie ticket by email as a thank-you.