PITTSBURGH, Pa - Sharon Regional Medical Center is joining other hospitals in Western Pennsylvania in a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of blood donation as supplies remain critically low at hospitals in the area.

Locally and nationally, blood supplies have greatly dropped within the past few years largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic leading to canceled blood drives and a sense of hesitation amongst those who used to regularly donate.

Ideally, hospital in-house blood banks maintain a four-day supply of blood. However, current supplies of the most transfused blood type, Type O, as well as platelets, which must be used within seven days of collection have dangerously dipped to below half that amount in many cases.

The months of June, July and August are considered to be the peak trauma season for hospital emergency departments. 

"More people participating in sometimes risky outdoor activities and traveling during the summer means more traumatically injured patients hitting emergency departments and requiring blood transfusions," said Director of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, AHN and Chief Medical Officer for Allegheny General Hospital, Dr. Allan Philp.

According to nonprofit blood services provider Vitalant, the number of new donors is down 12% year over year with 92,000 fewer donors annually compared to before the pandemic.

Just 3% of the population donates blood regularly and a sharp decrease in younger donors has also impacted blood suppliers.

Vitalant Chief Medical and Scientific Officer Dr. Ralph Vassallo says each time you donate blood, you help ensure a patient's lifesaving treatment doesn't have to be halted.

"When patient needs consistently outpace blood donors, chancer are higher a leukemia patient won't be able to get their regular transfusion, for example, or a patient will have their surgery delayed," Dr. Vassallo said.

Dr. Vassallo adds blood donation only takes about one hour to complete and a single donor can help save up to three lives.