Blood services providers across Butler County are calling on residents to donate blood to combat an ongoing shortage.

Kristen Lane, communications manager with Vitalant for Western Pennsylvania, said that a plethora of different factors have contributed to the shortage, which she specifically calls a blood donor shortage — and not a blood shortage — because the lack of donation is at the root of the issue.

“The people who were the most loyal blood donors, the baby boomers, have started to shift from being blood donors to blood users,” Lane said. “So, we're losing a big chunk. Gen Z and millennials have not embraced the opportunity to be donors as much.”

Blood drives at colleges and high schools have been effective ways to involve young people in donating blood in the past, but it's been more difficult for blood donation nonprofits such as Vitalant to host them there with the advent of the coronavirus pandemic.

“One of the biggest issues we've faced is that high schools and colleges we depended on to bring blood drives to students have now, in many cases, been unable to accommodate us,” she said. “We can't go there in person because of all the uncertainty and COVID-19 regulations. These schools are just not at the point where they can make a decision about whether they're able to host blood drives or not.”

Lane said that many young people think of donating blood as “a procedure rather than a process,” and do not realize that the next step after donating blood is that blood goes on to help patients in need.

“That blood has been given to a patient in the hospital,” she said. “Maybe somebody (their) age, or like (their) mom, or (their) grandpa who was in a car accident. They don't take it to that next step and think, 'I actually saved a life.' Normal people like us rarely get the chance like this to save someone's life.”

She said that people who already donate blood on a regular basis should try to donate one extra time per year, and that “if you've never donated blood, please give it a try.

“Blood is always needed, and it's used up so fast,” she said. “We need a supply on the shelves at the hospitals.”

Blood drives

For young people and blood donors of all ages, one way that Vitalant has tried to make donating blood more accessible during the pandemic is through “virtual” blood drives. Donors can donate blood at one of Vitalant's donation centers on their own, and get credit for it through their workplace.

“Donating only takes about 10 minutes, and you can plan to be at the donation center for about an hour,” she said. “It's such an easy thing, but we're really struggling to get the word out.”

Hosting in-person blood drives with local businesses and organizations is another way that Vitalant gets the word out about donating blood.

Zion United Methodist Church in Sarver conducted a blood drive with Vitalant Thursday afternoon, and the church's pastor, Seth McClymonds, said that a number of people were interested.

“When I asked about it on Sunday, there were a lot of people from the church who said they would be giving blood,” McClymonds said. “It seemed like something that they want to do.”

'Help those in need'

He said that for his church, giving blood is a way to “reach out to the community and help those in need.

“It is something we can do, and that's the heart behind it, it's taking care of our neighbors,” he said.

Another frequent host of blood drives in Butler County is Chrome Federal Credit Union.

“Chrome is a really dedicated blood drive host,” Lane said. “They have been doing everything they can to continue to encourage their employees to donate. They understand the need.”

Robert Toombs, team lead at Chrome Federal Credit Union's Wexford location, said that people are regularly excited about participating in their blood drive.

“Anybody and everybody is more than welcome,” Toombs said. “We've had employees, community members, members of the credit union and people from all over the place give, so it's definitely not just limited to members. We're excited to have as many people as we can to help out.”

Chrome last conducted a blood drive in July, but has been holding four blood drives a year across two locations since 2019.

“Credit unions are really all about people helping people, and it's been a great opportunity for us to band together,” he said. “We are really all about it, and we will keep hosting them, and hopefully people will continue to get involved.”

Blood to local patients

Blood donated at a blood drive in Butler County, Lane said, will most likely go to local patients in Western Pennsylvania who are in need.

“It's important to know where your donated blood is going,” she said. “You have people in Butler Hospital and in Cranberry hospitals who are so in need of blood, and that's who we serve.”

Lane explained that blood, when donated, is split into three components: plasma, red blood cells and platelets. Platelets, she said, often go to people being treated for cancer; red blood cells in most cases go to trauma victims, or people who are bleeding from an accident; and plasma usually goes to people with chronic illnesses who require frequent blood transfusions, or to burn victims.

“You, as a blood donor, have saved three different people's lives,” she said.

COVID-19 antibodies

Earlier on in the pandemic, blood banks were especially looking for donations from people who had previously had COVID-19, so that the blood could be used for transfusions for seriously ill COVID-19 patients.

“We collected so much COVID plasma from donors who were absolutely willing to make that contribution, especially donors who were shocked to find out they had had (asymptomatic) COVID and didn't know it,” Lane said. “They felt like they dodged a bullet.”

With the advent of the vaccine, there has been much less need for COVID-19-antibody-rich blood, but Vitalant has continued to test for COVID-19 antibodies and collect plasma from donors who tested positive.

“Plasma can be stored up to a year, and we keep it frozen,” Lane said. “We don't know where COVID is going, especially with these variants, and we could go back to transfusing COVID-antibody-rich plasma (in the future).”

Where to donate

Interested donors can donate at any of Vitalant's blood donation centers, or at upcoming blood drives whenever they are announced. Melissa Forster of Butler Health System said the donation center at Butler Health System's Crossroads campus is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

“Anyone can call to make an appointment at the Crossroads location or any of the other Vitalant locations,” she said.