The American Red Cross is reporting a severe blood shortage in the region as hospital demand outpaces current supply
The organization issued an urgent call for donors to prevent delays in lifesaving treatments.
The shortage is particularly acute for platelets and blood types O, A negative, and B negative.
According to Red Cross officials, the decline has resulted in a 35 percent drop in available blood products over the last month.
Red Cross officials attributed the decline to a combination of widespread flu activity and winter weather.
High flu rates across nearly every state have sidelined potential donors, while hospitals—already managing the most severe flu season in nearly 20 years—are now forced to triage blood products, the Red Cross said in a statement.
Last month, extreme weather forced the cancellation of approximately 400 blood drives, more than triple the number of weather-related disruptions seen during the same period last year. The cancellations resulted in thousands of uncollected donations.
“Winter always puts pressure on the blood supply, and this year widespread flu and rough weather are making it even tougher,” said Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of Red Cross donor services.
Sullivan asked healthy individuals to schedule appointments during National Blood Donor Month and noted that every unit is critical for physicians who must decide which patients receive immediate transfusions.
The shortage impacts a wide range of patients, including trauma victims, mothers experiencing childbirth complications, and patients with cancer or sickle cell disease.
Jenny Farley, a Red Cross volunteer from Delaware County, recently experienced the necessity of a stable supply firsthand.
Farley said she received five blood transfusions in November while doctors searched for internal bleeding after a surgery.
“I have heard many times that it’s the blood already on hospital shelves that helps save a life in an emergency,” Farley said. “But you can’t truly understand what that means until you contemplate needing five transfusions to survive.”
To encourage donations, the Red Cross is offering several incentives:
- Donors who give through Jan. 25, will be entered to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LX in the San Francisco Bay Area. The prize includes game tickets, airfare, a three-night hotel stay, and a $1,000 gift card.
- Those who donate between Jan. 26 and Feb. 28, will receive a $20 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice.
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Donors can schedule appointments via the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Below is a list of upcoming blood drives:
Langhorne Blood Donation Center
100 N. Bucks Town Drive, Suite 204, Langhorne
- Tuesday-Wednesday 11:45 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Thursday: 10:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
- Saturday: 7:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Bensalem
1/29/2026: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Parx Casino, East Building, 2999 Street Road
Buckingham
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 2631 Durham Road
Doylestown
1/23/2026: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Bucks County Administration Building, 55 E. Court St.
Hilltown
2/3/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School, 100 Broad St.
Holland
1/28/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Holland Elementary School, 597 Beverly Road
Hulmeville
1/26/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church, 313 Main St.
Morrisville
1/30/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Lower Makefield Township Building, 1100 Edgewood Road
New Hope
1/31/2026: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church, 1 Riverstone Circle
Newtown
1/26/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Grace Point, 592 Washington Crossing Road
1/28/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Newtown Middle School, 116 Richboro Newtown Road
1/29/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Crossing Community Church, 80 Lower Silver Lake Road
Perkasie
1/29/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Living Hope Community Church, 22H Route 313
Plumsteadville
1/23/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Plumstead Christian School, Middle & High School Campus, 5765 Old Easton Road
Sellersville
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 104 Green St.
2/3/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Sellersville Moose Lodge 1539, 301 W. Park Ave
Silverdale
1/28/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Silverdale Brethren in Christ, 165 W. Main St.
Southampton
1/30/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., St. Bede the Venerable, 1071 Holland Road
Warminster
1/23/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Christ Home, 800 York Road
2/2/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Neshaminy Warwick Presbyterian Church, 1401 Meetinghouse Road
Warrington
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 1795 Columbia Ave.
Yardley
2/2/2026: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., Woodside Presbyterian Church, 1667 Edgewood Road
