>> The American Red Cross is sounding the alarm about the country's blood supply last week, the organization declared a nationwide blood supply crisis for only the second time ever.

While all blood types are needed, the agency had less than a one-day supply of type O positive blood.

The most commonly used in trauma care.

Joining us now with more on the potential impact and how hospitals can prepare rdr Constantine can knock us the incoming medical director of blood bank in transfusion services at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

And Kelly O'Connell, the CEO of the American Red Cross of Illinois.

Thanks to both for joining us.

Appreciate I'm Kellie, the read count.

The Red Cross announced this blood pry crisis last week.

What is the latest update?

Yes, we still are in a crisis.

We absolutely need more people to make appointments income give blood.

We're seeing some movement which is fantastic.

>> But over the summer and often we often see the blood supply DEP a little bit.

This summer is a little bit more unusual because where contending with lots of natural disasters across the country, even right here in Chicago Illinois, where they've seen an upgrade uptick in tornadoes and storms, right?

And so that just disrupt people's everyday condoning many people can donate.

You just have to be 17 years old with 110 pounds and generally feel healthy.

When you wake up that Okay.

>> Dr Caucus in addition to trauma care.

What other blood service needs to hospitals a question.

Of course, it's easy to recognize the folks that experienced trauma need blood right?

But those having surgery with somebody pregnant women, premature babies.

Those with chronic anemia is and as rates increase in the United States, those with chronic illnesses like complex leukemia lymphomas nothings.

>> Kelly, I noticed in the press release when you'll need this announcement last week that you referred to something a sort of like the trauma summer, right like it or needs increasing in the summer.

In addition to what we're experiencing now, where donations are falling, right?

So most summers traumas increase, right?

You have different accidents.

There's lots more activity out there.

So we do see more action to more trauma going into the hospitals.

>> We also see folks taking more vacations.

Your routines are not the same, right.

And so we see less less and less people coming in to donate blood.

So those 2 things increase for need and decrease of folks donating are sort of the perfect storm.

And of course, the summary also have a cycle psoriasis.

we do have that.

We have many more natural disasters.

As I talked about.

>> We've had to cancel blood drives because of lost power due to storms.

Right?

So we're just we're trying to run as fast as we can to make sure we keep up with the demand.

Dr cannot cause.

Tell us about the work that you've done in helping hospitals to prepare for blood shortages.

Having a plan or policy about useless unless you actually practice it right.

So >> we've done research and doing simulation exercises and measuring local regional confidence and blood centers.

And it turns out that those that do have a plan as we study are more confident dealing with and they've got to plan to do it and they can respond accordingly.

Plans include things like triage Ng who gets.

But first, there's a limited supply.

What to do when you change of policies where there are shortages and bringing people that might not normally be in the decision-making process.

Part of the table.

What are some of those ethical questions that the team will have to work during the shortage?

>> Basically at the crux us who gets.

But first, if everybody needs blood and there's not enough right?

So bringing ethical question specialist to deal with that specialist in transition specialist but spot talking about the same sort of value of things that we have to consider for patients, all of which goes into philosophies that we employ, including things called Patient Blood Management, where we try to use the fewest amount of blood products to achieve the greatest.

How come try to maintain success and safety outcomes.

>> Kelly, typed why is that so necessary?

Well, this I that Dr can talk even more about this, but it really is that universal right, so that when there's a trauma that, you know, that can go to any patient.

And so that's so important.

And that's why we're really trying to get anyone who's typo in to donate blood the summer.

What can people expect when they go donate?

It's very easy.

I actually became landowner for the first time when I joined the Red Cross was on those people who is a little bit scared, but it takes less than an hour.

You going?

They check here iron and do a quick health history to make sure you are able to donate and that donation process itself can take between about 6 to 8 minutes.

The crash.

>> Dr cannot long-term trends in blood availability.

Are there?

>> There over the past few decades.

The number of donors has decreased, especially for those under 40 years old under 30, it's really, really low.

I'm still trying to get those young donors back to the donor center says is critical.

Additionally, what's important is making sure that the donor supply is as diverse as the recipient supply, which in a place like Chicago we've got you can imagine very population.

>> Kelly, we talked about on the sort of the historic nature of this particular crisis the last time the Red Cross declared one of these was in 2022.

What happens so that as we probably all remember was during the COVID time and it when COVID spiked.

>> And so we are seeing an increase in COVID folks earning him to stay home and folks are being infected with COVID until able to come out and donate at the same rates that we we needed them to OK.

So I know just little interesting that the second ever to happen the second crisis ever to happen is happening.

>> Now under very different circumstances, we're not in a global pandemic Know that's true.

I think there's again, there's a couple things going on with foodborne illness illnesses, sort of summer routine changes and then the natural disasters that are really happening all across the country, Dr.

was a the really good news.

So it's solvable, right?

If folks can come out even if 3 more people go to each drive that we have on the books, the crisis will that will be able to have the book that we Dr.

We've got 30 seconds left.

Why is it important to have a diverse supply of donors or members?

Donors.

Traditionally a lot of donors came from one or 2 demographics of pokes.

>> And there is, as you can imagine, many, many diverse genetic component, some people's compatibility with blood more than just a Vo type thing.

So making sure the blood supplies to first make sure that we can simply take