The American Red Cross issued an urgent call Friday for Maryland residents to donate blood during the busy holiday season, warning that fewer donations combined with steady hospital demand could strain supplies across the state, including Southern Maryland’s hospitals in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.
Blood cannot be manufactured and relies entirely on volunteer donors. Hospitals in the greater Washington, D.C., region—which includes much of Southern Maryland—require nearly 400 Red Cross donations every day simply to maintain adequate inventory for emergencies, surgeries, cancer treatment and childbirth complications.
Scott Marder, regional communications manager for the American Red Cross serving Maryland, Virginia, D.C. and parts of West Virginia and North Carolina, said the period from Thanksgiving through New Year’s is historically one of the most challenging.
“The need for blood is constant,” Marder said. “Every two seconds, someone in this country needs a blood transfusion, and it could be for any one of a bunch of reasons. People battling cancer. Mothers who are facing complications during childbirth. Or accident victims who need emergency surgery. The Red Cross urges donors during the holiday months to come out and donate.”
Holiday travel, family obligations and winter illness often keep regular donors away from blood drives at the exact time trauma cases rise because of weather-related crashes and elective surgeries are scheduled before year-end insurance deductibles reset.
More than 60 percent of Maryland adults are eligible to give blood, yet only about 3 percent actually donate in a typical year, according to America’s Blood Centers. Officials say even a 1 percent increase in donors would eliminate most seasonal shortages nationwide.
Donations collected in Southern Maryland frequently help patients far beyond the region and vice versa. Blood products are shared across the national Red Cross network.
Marder explained the system’s flexibility: “Let’s say we’re short on B-negative blood, we can ship blood from other areas here into this area, so that there’s enough B-negative blood so that patients can receive that care.” Conversely, when local drives exceed targets, surplus units are sent to hospitals facing disasters or unexpected demand elsewhere.
In Southern Maryland, blood collected at regular drives in Leonardtown, Prince Frederick, La Plata and Waldorf directly supports MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, CalvertHealth Medical Center, University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center and other facilities that perform trauma care, cancer treatment and open-heart surgery.
A single car accident victim can require up to 100 units of blood, while many cancer patients need platelets or plasma every few days during chemotherapy. Mothers experiencing postpartum hemorrhage remain one of the leading uses of blood in hospitals serving Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.
Whole blood donations take about an hour, including a mini-physical, questionnaire and refreshments afterward. Power Red donations, which collect two units of red cells in one visit, are also available for eligible donors with O, A-negative or B-negative blood types—types frequently in short supply.
The Red Cross has increased appointment availability at permanent donor centers and added mobile drives at churches, businesses and community centers throughout Southern Maryland during December and early January.
Donors can schedule by visiting RedCrossBlood.org and entering their ZIP code, using the Red Cross Blood Donor app, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Walk-ins are welcome at most locations, though appointments help reduce wait times during the busy season.
All presenting donors in December receive a special long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt while supplies last, and those who come in December 1-31 are automatically entered for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card through a national promotion.
With winter storms already affecting travel and more severe weather possible in January and February, building a robust blood inventory now is critical for hospitals from the Chesapeake Bay communities of Solomons and Lusby to the growing suburbs around Waldorf and La Plata.
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