The American Red Cross declared only the second national blood supply crisis in its history this week, warning that the country's blood banks have less than a single day's supply of type O-positive blood on hand and that donations have fallen to a four-year summer low.
The Red Cross has used the intervening years to build hospital planning measures specifically designed to prevent a repeat of 2022's scramble, including tighter coordination on which hospitals receive limited type-O supplies first and clearer emergency protocols for rationing.
Foodborne illness, the third factor Szabelski cited, works the same way: even a mild case can trigger a temporary deferral window under standard donation safety rules, and a single regional outbreak can sideline enough would-be donors in one area to measurably dent a blood bank's weekly collection totals.
Nurse director Stephanie Ferrara described the practical result bluntly: "We risk delaying procedures because we don't have enough blood," she said, adding that staff must now be "very extra cautious about our blood utilization," according to NBC Boston .
What Hospitals Are Doing to Cope Hospitals nationally are managing the shortage the same way Boston's Brigham and Women's and Dana-Farber are: rationing.
The American Red Cross declared only its second-ever national blood supply crisis this week, and Bloodworks Northwest, the separate nonprofit supplying nearly every hospital in western Washington, declared its own Code Red emergency days earlier.