‘Donations have dropped’: Low supply at Tennessee blood bank, one cause is extreme heat

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Middle Tennessee is running low on blood just as the Red Cross declared a national emergency blood shortage.

A local blood supplier for hospitals in Middle Tennessee told News 2 that the shelves are getting low, with only half a day’s supply for all blood types. A representative with Blood Assurance said extreme heat is one of the top contributors to the shortage.

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According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute , someone needs blood every two seconds.

The demand hasn’t slowed, but the number of donors has dropped significantly.

“It’s just so important for people, and there is so much need, and so I feel blessed to be able to do it,” donor Donna Spicer said.

Spicer told News 2 that she has been donating blood for over three years. Spicer added that she donates her platelets every two weeks, saving two to three lives .

“I think about how much it is helping,” Spicer explained. “I know it helps with people who have been in trauma, car accidents.”

She does it all in honor of her brother-in-law, who needed platelets during his mental cell lymphoma treatments before passing away cancer-free at the age of 69.

“Sometimes he couldn’t walk into the facility, but when he walked out, he felt like a new person,” Spicer said. “It just made such a difference in the way he felt.”

Now, amid the nationwide blood shortage, Spicer said she is not stopping anytime soon.

“Whole blood is just thirty minutes once you get started,” Spicer explained. “I would encourage people to at least try.”

Brooke Katz, the media relations coordinator for Blood Assurance, told News 2 that blood levels are running low, with less than half a day’s supply for all blood types.

“This is not a Blood Assurance problem. This is a problem for non-profit blood care centers across the country,” Katz said. “Just donations have dropped, people don’t donate like they used to.”

“Blood is a medicine that you can’t make in a lab,” Katz added. “There is no other way to get it other than the generosity of donors.”

Katz told News 2 that they supply blood to the majority of Middle Tennessee’s hospitals. However, with the intense summer heat, some blood drives were cancelled because of the heat. Donations have also dropped because schools have been out, vacations were scheduled, and people suffered from illnesses like COVID-19. Nevertheless, the demand has not relented.

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“We see people line up after a tornado, or a mass shooting, or a mass tragedy, but the reality is that need is there every single day,” Katz said. “If those same people who came out to those events would just schedule that appointment every 56 days, I’d probably never need to make an urgent appeal again.”

She added that they need every blood type, but especially O-negative, which is compatible with multiple other blood types. To donate, you can host a blood drive, visit the Williamson County Fairgrounds at the their mobile site, or stop into any of their 16 sites.

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