Every day, hospitals around the country use over 40,000 units of blood products, all of which come from donors, according to the American Red Cross.

Although blood donors are always in need, they are more needed than ever this summer, as several blood banks have recently announced blood shortages.

A July 13 American Red Cross news release stated their blood supply had dropped by nearly 25% in June, leading to a major gap between blood supply and blood demand.

The shortage reflects a broader trend among blood banks. On July 15, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies, America’s Blood Centers and the American Red Cross issued a joint statement regarding the blood shortage.

According to the statement, “the nation’s blood supply is currently strained. Reports from the past month indicate that the blood supply in the United States is lower than it should be for routine and emergency care.”

The statement also noted “many blood collection organizations have faced, or are currently facing, a critical shortage this summer.”

Vitalant, another blood bank, announced earlier this month its supply of Type O blood — valued for its versatility in emergencies — had dropped to a two-year low.

The nationwide blood shortage could cause major problems because blood is crucial to modern medicine.

According to the American Red Cross website, blood is incredibly important because it contains multiple components that help patients in different ways.

Red blood cells carry oxygen through the body. They are the most commonly used blood product and are commonly given to trauma and surgery patients.

Platelets help control bleeding. They help cancer patients, who may have low platelet levels due to the cancer itself or the chemotherapy process, avoid life-threatening bleeding. Platelets are also used during organ transplants.

Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. It is used to help trauma and burn patients maintain blood pressure, as well as other important functions, such as blood clotting.

Although they have different roles, red blood cells, platelets and plasma have one thing in common: They must come from human donors.

With fewer donors available during the summer, blood banks can run into issues.

Mandi Semple, a communications manager at Vitalant, said summer is often a challenging time for blood banks due to a higher demand for blood alongside a lower supply of donors.

During summer, fewer donors are available, while there are more emergencies — such as car accidents — that require blood transfusions.

This summer has been especially hard for blood banks because the demand for blood is even higher than usual, while there is less blood available than usual.

Nicole Roschela, the communications director for the Greater Pennsylvania region of the American Red Cross, said nationally, the American Red Cross is “sending out 3,500 more blood units than we expected each week.”

At the same time, according to Roschela, “the number of people coming to give blood has dropped off.”

Those factors lead to an even larger gap between blood supply and blood demand, which can only be closed with more blood donations because blood products cannot be manufactured or stored for long periods.

Although the blood shortage has affected several blood providers, hospitals are ensuring patients get the blood products they need.

In an email to the Eagle, a Butler Memorial Hospital spokesperson said “The blood bank at Butler Memorial Hospital is accustomed to managing blood inventory without disruption and is not currently experiencing a shortage.”

One reason the hospital has been able to keep enough blood in stock is because it works with multiple blood suppliers, including the American Red Cross and Community Blood Bank.

By working with these suppliers, the hospital can “carefully monitor inventory levels and maintain an adequate supply for patent needs,” according to the spokesperson.

Even though the hospital is not running low on blood at this point, the spokesperson still encouraged people to donate blood to “help support local blood inventories and ensure blood products remain available when needed.”

While hospitals work to ensure their patients get the blood they need, blood banks are working to close the gap and find more donors.

Although increasing the number of blood drives may seem like an obvious solution to the shortage, planning a blood drive can take months, according to Roschella.

“We can’t just pop up a blood drive just because there’s a shortage,” Roschella said.

Because of that, the Red Cross’ main focus during the blood shortage is to spread the word about the shortage and increase the number of donors.

Meanwhile, Vitalant has also focused on spreading awareness about the shortage by working with the media, and contacting previous donors and encouraging them to donate again, according to Semple

Blood banks are also offering incentives to thank donors who give this month.

The American Red Cross is offering a free movie ticket to all donors who give blood between July 13 and July 31. Meanwhile, all Vitalant donors who give before Aug. 8 will automatically be entered into a drawing to win a car valued at up to $30,000.

With incentives available and blood donations in demand, now is a good time to become a first time blood donor, according to Roschella.

“Come out and give it a try if it’s something you’ve always been wanting to do and just kind of put it off,” Roschella said.