VUMC sees critical blood shortages
Nationwide blood shortages have been a problem since the beginning of the pandemic, says Jennifer Andrews, MD, MSc, associate professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and Pediatrics. The most recent COVID-19 surge has again limited the number of healthy people who can donate blood, either due to illness or to necessary quarantining procedures. Additionally, clinicians who help collect and process blood at the American Red Cross are dealing with staff shortages as COVID-19 continues to affect health care workers.
“This blood shortage is absolutely unprecedented,” Andrews said. “I have never seen shortages like we’ve seen over and over again with every COVID-19 spike. The local blood shortage is the worst I’ve experienced in over 10 years at the blood bank.”
Andrews encourages the VUMC and surrounding Nashville community to first and foremost help end this pandemic by getting fully vaccinated if they are able and encouraging friends and family to do the same. Next, she hopes to continue seeing blood donations at VUMC, which have increased by more than 600% compared with years prior to 2020.
“Please take this blood shortage seriously and help if you can,” Andrews said. “We absolutely cannot care for our patients here without constantly replenishing our lifesaving blood products.”
- To schedule an appointment for drives at Light Hall, go to redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code "Vandy19" or visit this sign-up link.
- For drives at One Hundred Oaks, go to redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code "VUMC" or visit this sign-up link.
- If on-campus drives are fully booked, you can find the nearest American Red Cross blood drive to you by visiting https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive and entering your ZIP code.
It's possible to streamline your donation with an online pre-donation reading and health history on donation day.
Blood donation is safe to do and an essential activity
The American Red Cross understands public health concerns regarding donating blood during the COVID-19 pandemic but wants to stress that donating blood is a safe process and that Red Cross blood drives have the highest safety standards. American Red Cross blood drives are essential and directly support clinical AND other emergency services remaining open, including for trauma and oncology patients. Over 6,000 blood drives and 200,000 donations have been canceled recently, creating a serious shortage. It is safe to donate at this time.
Upcoming dates and times for Red Cross blood drives on the main VUMC campus:
|
Date |
Time |
Location |
|
09/28/2021 |
8:00am-2:00pm |
Light Hall |
|
09/29/2021 |
10:00am-4:00pm |
Light Hall |
|
09/30/2021 |
8:00am-2:00pm |
Light Hall |
|
10/05/2021 |
8:00am-2:00pm |
Light Hall |
|
10/06/2021 |
10:00am-4:00pm |
Light Hall |
|
10/07/2021 |
10:00am-4:00pm |
Light Hall |