Blood donation must be a national priority.
Altruistic, volunteer blood donors remain irreplaceable in supporting a safe and available blood supply. Blood cannot be artificially made in a laboratory, making the impact of blood donations on patient care especially profound, yet only 3% of Americans donate blood each year despite 65% of Americans being eligible.
The Problem
- Many blood centers are already grappling with low inventories, with some having only 1-2 days’ worth of blood on hand.
- An increase in remote work has caused disruptions to traditional blood drive schedules with the business community, which is responsible for as much as 30% of the blood supply each year and a core place of donation for individuals aged 25-60.
- The percentage of young adults donating blood between the ages of 16 and has decreased by more than 10 percent in recent years. Donations from younger generations is critical to the long-term stability of the U.S. blood supply.
- Roughly 12% of all blood donations come from communities of color, despite the critical need for a diverse pool of blood donors is critical to patient care. Many conditions such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia disproportionately impact minority populations and demand that ongoing blood transfusions are matched beyond just blood type, often from a donor of the same ethnic background.
Take Action
America’s Blood Centers is working with the Administration, Congress, and our industry stakeholders to promote the value of blood and strengthen and diversify our nation’s donor base.
Add your voice to these efforts by sending customizable, prewritten messages to your Members of Congress - it takes only minutes but could have a lasting impact.
Resources
Promoting Awareness of New Eligibility Criteria
Learn about two significant changes to donor eligibility requirements recently made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as ABC’s work asking Congress to provide targeted federal funding that can be used locally by blood centers to amplify their education and awareness efforts.
Giving=Living Campaign
The Department of Health and Human Services' Giving = Living was created to increase awareness of the importance of donating blood and to encourage Americans to donate regularly.
Giving=Living Campaign Report to Congress
This report provides a summary of campaign activities to date, from formative research, to implementation, to evaluation.
Advisory Committee on Blood & Tissue Safety & Availability Recommendations
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA) released recent recommendations related to the sustainability of the blood supply.
National Blood Collection & Utilization Survey
Since 1997, the biennial National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) has been the primary method of gathering blood collection and utilization data in the United States.
ADRP: The Association for Blood Donor Professionals
Access educational resources including a members-only online resource library, your go-to hub for the latest toolkits, trends, and best practices in the world of professional development.