Changes to the requirements for donating blood coupled with the pandemic have led to a drop-off in the number of teens and young adults donating blood.
It was a white T-shirt bearing the likeness of Snoopy wearing shades and leaning effortlessly against the iconic American Red Cross logo that prompted a surge in blood donations in the spring of 2023.
“Be cool. Give blood,” the shirt urged. The message — on young people, anyway — was effective. More than 70,000 people under age 35 responded to the call, rolling up their sleeves and giving blood in exchange for the coveted tees.
The need for blood is urgent. Over the holidays, the Red Cross had 7,000 fewer units of blood available than were needed by hospitals, said Dr. Eric Gehrie, the executive medical director of the American Red Cross. The organization speculated it would need about 8,000 additional donations every week in January to ensure that hospitals are fully supplied, he added.
I know it is bad but i completely understand why.
A group of people who cannot afford health care and are at risk of crippling debt from medical issues are reluctant to donate blood.
Especially when they sell it?
Exactly.
Scenario: A person regularly donates blood for years and receives no benefit from it.
Later they need to receive transfusions due to surgery or medical emergency.
They are charged several thousand dollars for the transfusions, the same amount as a person who has never donated.
What is their motivation to donate again?
There is very little.
We have also been taught that everything comes at a price and everything is a product. Even ourselves. I can see why being asked to give away something for free in this context just seems bizarre, as necessary as it is.
In a society that bleeds us for every cent it can get its claws on, why would we be expected to turn around and donate anything?
We’ve been trained that nothing happens without payment… if you want my blood, make an offer.
Weren’t gay men barred entirely? Yeah, I was considered “high risk” by category all those years despite being squeaky clean. Big regrets now, huh.
Sure, I’ll donate when I’m not working 70 hour weeks and actually have some time to.
Can’t smoke weed
The day my mother passed, she received at least 3 bags of blood. All it brought her was a few unconscious hours. I don’t have the words to describe how overwhelmingly thankful i was that day and still am for those individuals who gave their blood to my mother.
I can’t even afford health insurance, I need to keep all my blood inside me.
Even if I could, I wouldn’t because I absolutely do not like medical needles at all.
I’ll donate when I can afford to get treatment for the condition that makes me anemic.
They user to do blood drives in the office but they kept laying off people that managed it…
The young people also need free medical care and education. No wonder number of donors is dropping. When you are suppose to give something away they plea your goodness of the heart and helping others. When you need transfusions it’s several thousands of dollars thank you.
I used to donate a lot and dealt with the harassing phone calls and because I wanted to do my part.
After a series of bad donations where my arm looked like a crime scene, I finally got someone who knew what they were doing with the needle. I remarked how glad I was they got it on the first try and mentioned how bad it usually was. The technician told me with a straight face “oh yeah most of the others are butchers, I’d never donate here”. I donate a lot less now.
Red Cross and other orgs if you’re reading this, go undercover at your own facilities and you’ll see why fewer people are donating.
I’ll do it but it will cost you 1,000 a month or 10,500 a year… And I might not go every month…but you still have to pay.
We live in a subscription based society after all.
Bloody hilarious
Did you just
