Rhode Island Blood Center declares emergency shortage, issues call for donations

Blood centers nationwide, including in Rhode Island, are in desperate need of donations as supplies dip to critically low levels.

The Rhode Island Blood Center issued an emergency declaration at 6 a.m. Monday calling for donors to help restore supplies to “healthy levels.” The Providence-based blood center, run through regional nonprofit operator New York Blood Center Enterprises, has just 1,000, 1-pint units left, enough to fulfill two days of regular orders to hospitals, Chelsey Smith, a blood center spokesperson, said, in an interview Monday.

Blood type O-negative, described as the “universal donor” because it can be given to anyone, regardless of their blood type, is at an even more critical shortage, with less than two full days of supply on hand, Chelsey Smith said.

A seven-day supply is considered the norm to keep on hand for regular needs and emergencies. 

Rhode Island typically receives fewer blood donations during the summer due to family vacations and seasonal school closures — blood drives held in high schools and universities bring in 25% of blood donations nationwide, Smith said. But as shortages sweep blood centers nationwide, Rhode Island can’t rely on regional or nationwide partners to fill the gap.

“Our job is to make sure hospitals have the blood they need before patients arrive – not after,” Hunter Shaffer, vice president of operations at Rhode Island Blood Center, said in a statement. “With blood supplies under pressure here and across much of the country, there’s very little flexibility when inventories fall this low. We’re asking everyone who’s eligible to donate now so blood is available for the next trauma patient, the next surgery and every patient whose care depends on a lifesaving transfusion.”  

New York Blood Center Enterprises’ New York facility issued an emergency declaration last week, reporting the lowest level of blood in stock since the COVID-19 pandemic. New Jersey and Connecticut, both operated by the same nonprofit, have also hit critical levels of low supply, while Americas Blood Centers issued a call for donors amid a nationwide shortage, in a July 10 statement. 

Already, Rhode Island Blood Center has been unable to fulfill orders from area hospitals, providing just enough for the most urgent patients for the last week, Smith said. Fewer units sent to hospitals can mean delayed surgeries, though that has not happened yet, Smith said.

“Blood is one of the few medical treatments that cannot be manufactured or replaced, and when a patient needs it, they can’t wait,” said Sarah Frost, Brown University Health chief of hospital operations and president of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro. “A stable blood supply allows us to provide lifesaving care without delay. Right now, that supply is critically low, and every blood donation can make a lifesaving difference.”

Care New England, the second-largest hospital operator in Rhode Island, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. 

Donations can be made at any of Rhode Island Blood Center’s five Rhode Island locations — Providence, Warwick, Woonsocket, Middletown, and Narragansett, with appointments booked online. There are also several community blood drives throughout the state this week, including at Brown University Health and Wellness Center in Providence and Foolproof Brewing in Pawtucket.

For more information, including hours, appointments and eligibility, visit https://donate.ribc.org/donor/schedules/zip.