Two weeks after putting out an urgent appeal for Iowans to give blood, officials with the American Red Cross say the situation has dramatically worsened and they’re declaring the blood shortage is now at the crisis stage.
Josh Murray, spokesman for the agency’s Iowa/Nebraska chapter, says many donors have come forward, but it’s still not enough to meet the rising demand.
“We are seeing a very critical situation here right now, especially for type O blood,” Murray says. “We’ve seen those distributions go up while the supply is going down. We actually are below a one-day supply of type O positive blood, which is the most common blood type.”
Several factors are contributing to the emergency appeal, including the extreme heat, the poor air quality due to wildfire smoke, and the widespread outbreak of foodborne illnesses. Murray says it’s only the second time the Red Cross has declared a blood shortage at the crisis level. The first time was in 2022.
“We were still coming off the COVID pandemic and had some effects from that, and then we had some really severe winter weather across the country during that time of year,” Murray says. “So early 2022, we declared the crisis, again the first time that had ever happened, and now we’re seeing that critical level again.”
Patients at Iowa hospitals may soon feel the impact of the blood shortage as elective surgeries are forced to be pushed back.
“It’s getting to the point where, yes, that could be a possibility with non-critical surgeries or there are certain treatments you have to put off or delay because they maybe don’t have the blood that would be needed to support those treatment opportunities, too,” Murray says. “Yes, that is definitely something we are concerned about.”
Donating a pint of blood typically will only take 45 minutes out of your day, and every donation has the potential to help save multiple lives.
As an incentive, Iowa donors who give a pint by July 31st will get a Fandango movie ticket by email, worth up to $15. Those who come in during August will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card by email.
Book an appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 800-RED CROSS.
Here are some upcoming blood drives across Iowa:
Emmet County
Estherville
8/11/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Grandview Baptist Church, 3705 170th Street
Polk County
Ankeny
8/13/2026: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Christ Lutheran Church Ankeny IA, 2325 SW State St
Bondurant
7/27/2026: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., Bondurant Community Library, 104 2nd St NE
Des Moines
7/28/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., American Red Cross Des Moines, 2116 Grand Ave.
8/3/2026: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Corinthian Baptist Church, 814 School Street
8/10/2026: 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., American Red Cross Des Moines, 2116 Grand Ave.
West Des Moines
8/6/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Wright Service Corporation, 5930 Grand Avenue,
Story County
Ames
8/14/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Towneplace Suites by Marriott, 1523 S Dayton Place
Huxley
7/30/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Bayer Crop Science, 1551 IA-210
Webster County
Fort Dodge
7/31/2026: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1426 N 32nd St
Winnebago County
Forest City
7/29/2026: 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 916 West I St
Worth County
Northwood
8/13/2026: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Worth County Fairgrounds Community Center, 1206 3rd Ave N