It’s certainly not the region’s first appeal for blood donations. It won’t be the last.

Today’s Butler Eagle includes a report that’s familiar to this time of year — familiar, in fact, to just about every change of season.

A sharp decrease in blood donations in Western Pennsylvania has left local organizations scrambling to fight what they believe could become a community health crisis.

Don’t downplay the notice especially in light of the long-term trend that shows conditions have worsened over the past decade.

In a study published 10 years ago, the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a division of the federal National Institutes of Health, surveyed 213 U.S. hospitals snd determined they were paying an average $211 per unit of red blood cells, and charging patients $344 for the same blood.

“There was significant statistical variation in acquisition cost by US census region ... and division,” the study noted, and undoubtedly the figures have increased exponentially in the decade since publication. But no matter, even badly outdated statistics make the point.

And the point is this: Donated blood is a vital commodity for those who need it. Vitalant and other nonprofits gather, process and sell donated blood products to hospitals; they use the proceeds to finance their life-saving operations. Hospitals sell the blood products at substantial markup to stay in operation while providing essential medical services to their community. Patients and their insurance providers pay these fees; and employers pay premiums to their health plans knowing healthy workers are in the best interest of their company and the community.

It’s all theoretically justified in the bottom line.

In essence, everyone is looking out for their bottom line. Except the blood donor. The donor is expected just to give because it’s the right thing to do. But why should the blood donor be the only one not to benefit financially from his or her generous gift of blood?

“Blood donations are shrinking everywhere. Everybody is feeling the pinch,” says Charlie Wilcox, the northeast division president of Vitalant.

That’s free-market terminology if we’ve ever heard it. And free-market problems deserve free-market solutions as options.

If the current trends continue, it’s almost predictable what will happen next. The demand for blood products will continue to increase as the supply dwindles. Prices will rise to a point where someone — either Vialant, one of the health finance giants or medical behemoths — will establish a new-concept blood bank that finds a way to compensate donors. There will be extensive tracking and incentives to ensure the health and quality of these donors and their blood.

This banks’ products might even be marketed under a “premium” label distinguishing them from regular donated blood — certified organic, perhaps?

It may sound a little outrageous, but so did bottled water about 25 years ago. Back then, perfectly good, drinkable water used to come out of the taps by the gallon, all for free.