The American Red Cross has declared a national blood supply crisis for only the second time in its history after blood donations dropped to a four-year summer low, worsening the US blood shortage and leaving Type O positive blood at critically low levels.
The organization warned that the blood supply crisis could affect emergency surgeries, trauma care, cancer treatment, and other lifesaving procedures if donations do not increase.
The nonprofit humanitarian organization announced that blood donations are no longer keeping pace with rising hospital demand during the busy summer trauma season. As a result, the Red Cross has begun limiting distributions of Type O blood to individual hospitals to help ensure patients facing the most life-threatening emergencies continue to receive timely transfusions.
The only previous national blood supply crisis was declared in January 2022.
According to the Red Cross, the current shortage has been driven by a combination of increased hospital demand and declining donor turnout during the summer months.
Summer trauma season typically increases the need for blood because hospitals treat more patients injured in outdoor recreational activities and road traffic accidents. At the same time, extreme heat, poor air quality, and widespread foodborne illnesses have discouraged many eligible donors from giving blood, further straining the nation's blood supply.
Although thousands of people have responded to earlier appeals, the organization said blood donations remain below the level needed to meet hospital demand.
Chris Hrouda, President of Red Cross Biomedical Services said:
"Blood donations simply are not keeping pace with hospital demand."
He added that inventories, particularly Type O blood, remain under significant strain and urged all eligible donors to make an appointment to donate as soon as possible.
One of the most pressing concerns is the shortage of Type O positive blood, the most commonly transfused blood type in the United States.
The Red Cross said it currently has less than a one-day national supply of Type O positive blood, prompting the organization to temporarily limit distributions of Type O blood to individual hospitals while prioritizing patients with the most urgent medical needs.
Type O blood accounts for approximately 60% of all Red Cross blood distributions because it is essential for both routine patient care and medical emergencies.
Type O positive can be safely transfused to about 80% of patients, while Type O negative remains the universal blood type relied upon during life-threatening emergencies when there is no time to determine a patient's blood group.
The organization noted that maintaining healthy supplies of A, B, and AB blood allows hospitals to reserve valuable Type O blood for patients with Type O blood and emergency situations where every second counts.
The Red Cross warned that continued shortages could affect the availability of blood for emergency surgeries, trauma care, cancer treatment, childbirth, and other serious medical conditions if donations do not increase.
To manage the limited inventory, the organization said it continues to monitor the nation's blood supply daily and work closely with hospitals to prioritize the most urgent patient needs while distributing blood products where they are needed most.
Earlier this month, the Red Cross had already declared an emergency blood shortage after blood supplies dropped by nearly 25% in June, pushing inventories below desired levels. The latest announcement marks an escalation from that warning to a nationwide blood supply crisis.
The shortage is also being felt beyond the Red Cross. Earlier in July, the American Red Cross, America's Blood Centers, and the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies jointly appealed for more voluntary blood donors, noting that many blood collection organizations across the country were experiencing critically low inventories.
Following the first national blood supply crisis in January 2022, the Red Cross introduced several measures to improve the resilience of the nation's blood supply.
One of the key changes involved strengthening coordination with hospitals, which now schedule approximately 65% of their anticipated blood needs in advance. According to the organization, this has improved forecasting, helped prioritize blood distribution, and enhanced stewardship of limited Type O blood supplies.
However, despite these safeguards, this summer's elevated demand and continued decline in donations have once again pushed inventories to crisis levels.
The Red Cross estimates that just three additional donors at every blood drive this summer could help stabilize the national blood supply and bring the current crisis to an end.
The organization is urging all eligible individuals, especially those with Type O blood, to schedule donation appointments through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
As part of its donor appreciation campaign, individuals who donate blood between August 1 and August 31, 2026, will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card by email. Those who donated by July 31, 2026, were eligible to receive a Fandango movie ticket voucher, subject to the program's terms and conditions.
While coordination between hospitals and blood suppliers has improved since 2022, the Red Cross emphasized that maintaining a stable blood supply ultimately depends on regular volunteer donors.
"Every donation has the potential to help save lives," the organization said, urging eligible donors to give blood so that hospitals have sufficient supplies for both everyday patient care and medical emergencies.
(Rh/ARC/MSM)