Otsego County Community Urged to Donate Amid an Ongoing Blood Supply Shortage
By DAKOTA KEATS
SUNY Institute for Local News
OTESGO COUNTY
The national blood supply dropped 35 percent in January, leading the American Red Cross to declare a severe blood shortage. Recent winter storms and a nationwide flu outbreak are to blame. Additional blood drives have been scheduled throughout Oneonta and surrounding communities to help meet hospital demand and replenish critically low supplies.
In a February 2 statement from the humanitarian nonprofit organization, individuals were urged “to give blood and platelets as soon as it is safe for them to travel to help ensure lifesaving medical procedures are not delayed.”
Meg Rossman, communications manager for the American Red Cross Western New York Region, said severe winter storms and an active flu season have significantly disrupted donations. About 800 blood drives nationwide have been canceled since the beginning of the year, resulting in more than 20,000 uncollected units of blood and platelets.
“Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. is in need of lifesaving blood,” Rossman said. “The blood supply fluctuates as donations come in and go out to help hospital patients every day of the week.”
As the nation’s largest blood services provider, the Red Cross monitors inventory daily and works with hospital partners—including A.O. Fox Hospital and Bassett Healthcare—to prioritize urgent needs. While the organization strives to meet local hospital demand first, its national system allows blood products to be transported across the country during disasters or other periods of heightened need.
Rossman said community-hosted drives are essential because blood cannot be manufactured and has a limited shelf life of up to 42 days for red blood cells and just five days for platelets.
“Success means meeting the needs of patients who rely on lifesaving blood products,” she said. “Each donation has the potential to save up to three lives.”
At SUNY Oneonta, blood donation is a regularly scheduled campus initiative. Linda Drake, director of the Center for Volunteerism and Community Engagement, oversees the university’s partnership with the Red Cross and coordinates student volunteers who help recruit donors and staff events.
“We hold a blood drive every month. Our campus does more than most,” Drake said.
In the days leading up to each drive, volunteers spend three days tabling on campus during lunch and dinner hours to recruit donors.
Organizers must plan for no-shows and donor deferrals.
“If our goal is 35 donors, I need 70 people signed up,” Drake said. “People get turned away even when they have every intention of donating.”
Despite the logistical challenges, Drake emphasized the impact of donating.
“You’re giving the gift of life,” she said. “When you give blood, you’re saving three lives.”
Upcoming area drives are scheduled on February 27 at Elm Park United Methodist Church and Laurens Central School District; March 6 at A.O. Fox Hospital and Charlotte Valley Central School; March 13 at the Otego Community Center; and March 18 at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center. SUNY Oneonta’s CVCE will host campus drives on March 31 and April 29 at Hunt College Union.
The Red Cross encourages donors to make appointments via the “Find a Drive” online tool at redcrossblood.org, though walk-ins may be accepted as space allows. Organizers urge residents not to wait for an emergency to donate, noting that regular donations help ensure blood is available before it is needed.
This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.
