Red Cross Hosts Beverly Hills Blood Drive

BEVERLY HILLS — Some 32 Beverly Hills locals signed up to donate blood at the Beverly Hills Fire Department Thursday as part of a donation event hosted by the American Red Cross, doing their part to help out with an ongoing life-threatening blood shortage across the nation.

The Red Cross said in a news release in June it was facing a severe blood shortage across the nation, with a 10 percent increase in demand from trauma centers in 2021 alone. The increased demand was caused by backlogged elective surgeries, an increase in transplants caused by drug overdoses over the summer and a higher than usual number of traumatic injuries, the Red Cross said.

“Whether it’s a pandemic or [not], I think it’s a very important thing. People don't realize there’s no other way to get blood,” Nina Minton, an account manager for the American Red Cross, said. “We always need blood, and unfortunately, right now we’re in a huge shortage.”

In recent months, the amount of donations has gone down sharply, which Minton attributed to the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19, school starting back up and people going back to more normal, busy lives.

"So here we have this increase [in demand] and a decrease in people giving suddenly," she said.

It is important for people to realize that even if they weren't eligible to donate blood before for some reason, they may be eligible now, Minton said. Anyone wondering if she can donate should call donor support at 866-236-3276.

Find a blood donation event near you on the Red Cross website.