>> THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IS SOUNDING THE ALARM ON BLOOD DONATION LEVELS DECLARING A NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY.

THE ORGANIZATION SAYS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE DONATING BLOOD IS DROPPED BY 40% IN THE LAST 2 DECADES.

HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S BEHIND IT AND THE IMPACT OUR JOY SQUIRE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE ILLINOIS RED CROSS AND DOCTOR GLENN RAMSEY, MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT THE BLOOD BANK AT NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

WELCOME BOTH OF YOU TO CHICAGO TONIGHT THAT DOCTOR RAMSEY, HOW IS THIS BLOOD SHORTAGE IMPACTING HOSPITALS AND PATIENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

>> YEAH, IT'S A IT'S A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR HOSPITALS WHEN YOU DEPEND CASA BUT SUPPLY.

WE ESTIMATE IN CHICAGO AREA THE PATIENT NEEDS A TRANSFUSION ABOUT ONCE A MINUTE.

SO THERE'S A CONSTANT NEED FOR BLOOD.

THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THESE TRANSFUSIONS.

GO TO ALL KINDS OF PATIENTS FROM PREMATURE BABIES, TOO, TO CANCER PATIENTS AND ALL.

AND WE'RE IN BETWEEN FOLKS HAVING TO WAIT LONGER FOR THEIR ARE THEY GETTING WHAT I NEED RIGHT NOW?

WE'RE ALL CAREFULLY MONITORING OUR SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

WE ARE ABLE TO MEET THE DEMANDS, BUT WE'RE BEING VERY CAREFUL IN MAKING SURE THAT THE TRANSFUSIONS ARE >> GOING TO, YOU KNOW, OF CULT FOLLOWING GUIDELINES.

AND WE'RE TRYING TO GIVE ONE UNIT AT A TIME STABLE PATIENTS TO BE ABLE TO STRETCH THE SUPPLY FOR EVERYBODY.

JOY THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 40%, THE NATION'S BLOOD SUPPLY.

WHAT ARE YOU SEEING?

>> WELL, THE RED CROSS SOUND THE ALARM ABOUT THE BLOOD SHORTAGE BECAUSE TYPICALLY COMING OUT OF THE HOLIDAYS, YOU MIGHT SEE THAT BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE BUSY THAT BLOOD DONATIONS DROP.

BUT IT WAS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT THIS YEAR BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S.

WE LOST LIKE 7,000 AND THOSE ARE UNITS THAT WOULD GO TO NOW WITH THE COLD WEATHER THAT'S EXACERBATED THE PROBLEM.

EVEN MORE.

BUT WE NEED PEOPLE TO DONATE ONLY 3% OF AMERICANS DONATE IN A GIVEN YEAR.

AND DOCTOR RAMSEY, CAN YOU GIVE US A QUICK LESSON IN HOW BLOOD BANKS WORK?

BECAUSE BLOOD?

>> DOESN'T HAVE A VERY LONG SHELF LIFE, OBVIOUSLY, RIGHT?

THAT DEPENDS ON THE KIND OF BLOOD YOU'RE GETTING SOME THE RED CELLS WE THINK CAN LAST FOR UP TO 6 WEEKS.

BUT >> CAN BE, YOU KNOW, USE VERY, VERY QUICKLY IN EMERGENCIES.

THE PLATELETS THAT YOU'RE GIVEN TO PATIENTS SAY CANCER BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS ONLY HAVE A SHELF LIFE OF A 5 TO 7 DAYS.

SO IT'S A YOU KNOW, IT'S A CONSTANT DAY-TO-DAY PROCESS OF OF KEEPING ENOUGH INVENTORY AVAILABLE, ENJOYING YOU MENTIONED 3% OF AMERICANS DONATE IS THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE JUST GOT OUT OF THE HABIT OF DOING IN RECENT YEARS AS COVID HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH >> WELL, PEOPLE SAY THAT WHEN THEY'RE ASKED WHY THEY DON'T DONATE, THEY'VE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT.

THEY'VE NEVER REALLY BEEN ASKED.

SO I THINK IT'S SIMPLY JUST NOT TOP OF MIND.

BUT COVID DID ALSO IMPACT THIS BECAUSE COVID, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SHUT DOWN WHEN SCHOOL SHUT DOWN, UNIVERSITIES, ET CETERA, BUSINESSES, IT'S HARDER TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE NOW BECAUSE WE'RE BACK.

HYBRID.

NOT NECESSARILY YOU KNOW, IN THE OFFICES.

SO IT'S MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO SET UP DRIVES WHERE PEOPLE ARE AND GET PEOPLE TO COME OUT AND COMMIT TO THEIR SCHEDULES.

AND THEN AS I UNDERSTAND THAT 25% OF THE NATION'S BLOOD RUNS COME FROM SCHOOL.

>> BLOOD ARE NOT HAPPENING AS OFTEN IS AS TYPICALLY DO.

>> RIGHT SCHOOLS.

WE USED TO DRIVES IN MANY, MANY SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES.

AND WHEN THE PANDEMIC SHUT DOWN, THE WE SAW A LOT FEUER DRIVES IN THOSE TYPES OF PLACES, SOMETHING LIKE THE NUMBER 18 TO 24 YEAR-OLD DONORS WHO DONATED IN 2021.

WAS LIKE 260,000 NATIONALLY.

THAT'S HALF AS MUCH AS 2 YEARS EARLIER JUST BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

AND DOCTOR RAMSEY, YOU MENTIONED THE NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL.

YOU'RE MONITORING THE SITUATION.

YOU DO HAVE ENOUGH SUPPLY.

WHAT IS THE SITUATION HOSPITALS IN THE IN THE CITY AND AROUND THE AREA AS IT IS IT ABOUT THE SAME?

YEAH, IT'S PROBABLY THE SAME FOR WE'RE ALL, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE SAME THE SAME SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

SO WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH.

>> YOU KNOW, THAT THEIR PATIENTS WHO ALL KINDS OF PATIENTS WHO NEED CUT, YOU KNOW, SOME PATIENTS NEED CONSTANT SUPPLY, KNOW TRANSFUSIONS FOR THEIR DEPENDENT ON ON THEIR TRANSFUSIONS.

>> OTHER PATIENTS THAT MIGHT BE YOU KNOW, AN ACCIDENT THEY HAVE OR CANCER TREATMENT OR SICKLE CELL DISEASE.

PATIENTS WHO NEED YOU KNOW, LONG-TERM TRANSFUSION, OF COURSE.

SO THERE'S ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF PATIENTS THAT WE HAVE TO BALANCE OF SUPPLY TO TRY TO EVERYONE'S THE MAN.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT WHEN THINGS ARE THINGS ARE TIGHT.

SO JOY, TO GET MORE IT BACK AND HAVE A REMIND US WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE.

AGE BLOOD TYPE.

>> SO ANY BLOOD TYPE AND YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW YOUR BLOOD TYPE TO GO IN AND DONATE.

ANYONE CAN GO AGE 16 WITH THE PARENT CONSENT 17 WITHOUT 110 POUNDS.

IT'S REALLY PRETTY SIMPLE AND YEAR IN AND OUT IN ABOUT AN HOUR FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, THE ACTUAL BLOOD DONATION IS ONLY ABOUT 10 MINUTES.

DOCTOR WITH THE FLU AND WITH ON THE RISE AGAIN.

ARE YOU WORRIED THAT THAT MIGHT IMPACT?

>> FUTURE SUPPLY?

>> SURE.

WE'VE SEEN THAT WITH THE COVID WHERE A LOT OF FOLKS ARE EITHER OR THEIR, YOU KNOW, UNABLE TO COME OUT AND TO DONATE AND SO IT IT IS DEFINITELY IMPACTING THE ELIGIBILITY OF DONORS TO BE ABLE TO DONATE WHEN THEY'RE NOT WELL THAT DAY.

THEY CAN.

THEY CAN DONATE FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

>> AND YOU'RE AND YOUR MESSAGE TO EVERYONE JUST TO GET TO GET FOLKS OUT.

>> YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY ALL NEED BLOOD CANCER PATIENTS, BABY'S BIRTH TRAUMA ACCIDENTS.

YOU NEVER KNOW.

YOU WANTED TO BE THERE FOR EVERYONE.

SO CONSIDER COMING OUT TO DONATE.

YOU'RE HELPING PEOPLE AND WE APPRECIATE YOU HOSPITALS.

APPRECIATE YOU.

IT REALLY, REALLY ARE.

ALRIGHT PEOPLE.