The Iowa chapter of the American Red Cross will be starting out 2025 much as it always does, with a critical need for blood donors, as stockpiles are dangerously low.
Agency spokeswoman Sue Thesenga says she’s hoping the blood shortage in the new year makes people stop and think about what they can do to help year-round.
“We really encourage people to resolve to do something good this year and blood donation is a very easy way to make a resolution to help people in need,” Thesenga says. “It only takes an hour of someone’s time and it doesn’t cost a dime.”
The Red Cross is in need of blood donors of all types, especially those with type O, which is considered the universal type for transfusions.
You can safely donate blood every 56 days,” she says. “So a lot of times donors donate once or twice during the year, and that is fabulous, but if they donated more regularly and more often, that would probably help us avoid situations like we’re in right now.”
As New Year’s Eve is one of the deadliest nights of the year to be on the road, Thesenga says just one or two motor vehicle crashes could quickly drain this precious resource.
“A single-car accident victim may require as many as 100 units of blood,” Thesenga says. “That’s a lot of blood going to one person. So we need to make sure that people that experience emergency situations, or just regular surgeries and stuff, have all the blood products that they need.”
While most blood center offices will be closed for the holiday, you can schedule an appointment right now to give blood later this week at RedCrossBlood.org.