The Rhode Island Blood Center has declared a blood emergency after the region’s blood supply dropped below a two-day inventory — well below the five-to-seven-day level considered healthy — as hospitals enter the height of summer trauma season.
The shortage is part of a broader national crisis. America’s Blood Centers has issued a statement warning that blood supplies have fallen to dangerously low levels in many regions. Locally, summer vacations, school breaks, and holiday travel have reduced donations while demand from trauma, cancer, and surgical patients continues.
“With blood supplies under pressure here and across much of the country, there’s very little flexibility when inventories fall this low,” said Hunter Shaffer, vice president of operations at Rhode Island Blood Center. “We’re asking everyone who’s eligible to donate now.”
Trauma patients alone can require dozens of units of blood within minutes, making the current shortage especially acute. “Blood is one of the few medical treatments that cannot be manufactured or replaced, and when a patient needs it, they can’t wait,” said Sarah Frost, chief of hospital operations at Brown University Health and president of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s.
The Blood Center is especially urging donors with type O blood to give as soon as possible. Eligible donors can give blood every 56 days and platelets up to twice a month. Recent FDA eligibility updates have expanded who qualifies to donate.
Appointments can be scheduled at ribc.org or by calling 401-453-8383. Donors should expect longer-than-usual wait times as the center transitions to a new digital registration system.
