'It's just not enough': Blood banks feeling pinch from drop in drives

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to fewer blood drives this year, leaving blood banks across Long Island feeling the pinch for donations.

Blood donations have waned from the 200 drives the New York Blood Center normally sees each month on Long Island to about 130. Across the state, monthly drives have dropped from 550 to about 350. Additionally, thousands of businesses — many with employees still working from home — aren’t collecting blood.

The New York center declared an emergency in August when donations dwindled to a one-day supply for some types of blood. The numbers picked back up, but now, with the emergency lifted, supplies are falling again, the blood center said.

"I equate it to we’re just sort of staying above the water line," Andrea Cefarelli, senior executive director at the New York Blood Center, said Monday. The center is one of the country’s largest nonprofit blood collectors, pulling donors from across New York State and in some New Jersey cities.

There’s a bigger need for donations, as hospitals said they are using 15% more blood each month than pre-COVID-19. Cefarelli said that’s possibly because they’re catching up on delayed surgeries.

The blood center’s emergency declaration led to a flood of donations. New Hyde Park-based Northwell Health and the American Red Cross called on donors to roll up their sleeves.

The blood inventory remains in the four- to five-day range, with some blood types down to a two- or three-day supply.

"It’s OK today, but we’re never comfortable unless all types are four-plus [days]," Cefarelli said.

Youth blood drives, held after hours at Long Island elementary schools, brought in 20,000 donations annually to the blood center pre-pandemic. That number plummeted to 8,000 in 2020 and is down to just 2,500 this year on the Island.

The age for giving blood starts at 16.

The American Red Cross is facing a similar demand, said area spokeswoman Desiree Ramos Reiner. The month of August saw a 10% dip in donations. If blood isn’t available, doctors could postpone or cancel surgeries, she said.

Cefarelli said she has seen "a major shift" in how her center receives blood. The bulk of donations — 75% — had come from pop-up drives, leaving 15 permanent locations to collect the remaining 25%. Now, it’s 50/50, Cefarelli said.

"To get this gap that we’re missing, we really need more people to step up and host community blood drives," she said.

Central Islip Public Library is hosting a community drive on Oct. 16, its first in years. It will be held in honor of the Great Give Back, an annual day of service that libraries hold, said librarian Cindy Miller.

While there’s anxiety surrounding the blood supply, Cefarelli said she’s seeing "a slow and steady improvement." Her center’s September goal was 30,000 donations and it hit just over 29,000.

"Known donors," or people who have previously donated, have heard for months about the critical need for blood, and Cefarelli said she fears fatigue could contribute to waning donations. To switch up messaging, the center unveiled a new and humorous advertising campaign in June. It focused on things that hurt more than giving blood, like running into your ex or biting into piping-hot pizza.

And it worked, Cefarelli said. Donors responded well to the ads, and the center saw increased donations. The center plans to unveil new ads this month, where people who do not-so-good things — like parking badly or sneaking through the express checkout line with a cart full of groceries — still step up to give blood.