Blood donors needed as nationwide shortage is underway

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A nationwide blood supply shortage is prompting medical professionals to advise Americans to donate.

In a world where many things can be artificial, blood cannot be substituted.


In Arizona alone there's a blood supply decrease of more than a 25 percent, that's according to Vitalant which is a blood provider for 90 percent of the state.

Maintaining blood units and encouraging the public to donate is critical said Raul Martinez who is Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) blood bank manager. “Every one to two seconds we are gonna have a patient who needs red blood cells or blood platelets so in order to help others we need to have that.” 

YRMC Blood Bank said it's doing its part to ensure blood units are readily available.

Martinez said that with a replenished supply, “We’ll able to respond to that emergent need to anybody not only the ones that are in surgery but anybody that can be involved in a crash anybody who may be bleeding for any reason."

YRMC and Vitalant are hosting two blood drives on August 16 and August 17.

You can register here.