Donors are the lifeblood of Red Cross drives

With blood shortages across the country due to lower numbers of donors and bigger emergencies fueling demand, Red Cross blood drives like the one held recently at the Holiday Inn Express on North Sixth Street can help fill the gaps both locally and nationally.

"A big point is that blood can't be manufactured. It can't be produced," said Josh Murray, Red Cross regional communications director, in a phone interview. "The only way that we can provide blood for hospitals, for the patients that need it, is through donations that we get from from generous donors. There's no other way."

"Transfusions are one of the most popular procedures done in hospitals," he said. "… But if the blood isn't on the shelves, obviously, that's an issue. So it is beyond vital for people to come out to donate."

"There's a variety of factors that lead to the shortages," Murray said, "whether it's weather like we've experienced recently in our area, or the time of year when we get into the summer … and people are traveling and get busy with things, you see a dip donations at that time … but we don't see a dip in the need for blood ever."

"The advantage of Red Cross is as a national blood bank, we can send to wherever it's needed," he said. "So we take care of the local hospitals that we have contracts with first, but then beyond that, if we have more than we need at that time but there's another part of the country that doesn't have it, we can send it there. Same thing here. … We're making sure we're filling in those gaps."

Volunteers Karen Probst and Kathy Epp started as donors, as did volunteer coordinator Maggie Schaaf. 

Probst cited her 35 years in health care as her motivation, wanting to ensure patients had access to blood. Epp and Schaaf each had family members who inspired them to become donors.

While Schaaf said blood drives like the one in March wouldn't be possible without the volunteers, they all agreed it was the donors who were the ones making a difference.

"We couldn't do this job if it wasn't for our donors," Epp said.

"We've got some that have given over 20 gallons," Probst said, noting that it takes eight units of blood to make a gallon.

"Donors are so dedicated that, like, if they're low on iron, or their blood pressure is too high, and they defer you, you can't donate that day? They are a little disappointed, put out, angry," Schaaf said, "a lot of variety of emotions from people."

Probst said the Red Cross had drives in Beatrice every other month starting in January, usually on the last Wednesday and Thursday of the month.

In addition to the Holiday Inn Express, drives take place at Beatrice High School, Exmark, the YMCA, Good Samaritan Society and other locations.

"A lot of people that donate, they have a back story," Schaaf said, "like a child had been ill and needed a blood transfusion, and so then they begin donating, or we have a lot of veterans that donate."

"I think when they start them at the high school, they kind of carry on a lot after they can do it there at the school," Probst said. "And then when they get out of school, they just kind of keep carrying on and given blood. Once you start, it's very rewarding."

Murray said the number of blood donations has risen a bit since the dip caused by the pandemic, but overall, it's been going down for the last 20 years.

"Part of it is because people work from home now, or they do everything from home and they're not out and about," Murray said, "We used to do — we still do — several blood drives at businesses or at office buildings, but not as many people might be in the office buildings anymore."

Murray said the organization is taking steps to increase the donor pool.

"We try to do more and more blood drives at schools and colleges," he said, "get … young people in, because a lot of times when you get in and you start, you become a lifelong blood donor, and kind of get on that regular routine of doing it at least a few times a year.

"So kind of trying to do more of that to get those first-time donors in, and hopefully those first-time donors become longtime loyal donors."