Hospitals across Eastern North Carolina are facing a critical medical crisis as the American Red Cross reports a dangerous dip in the regional blood supply. Recent winter storms have forced the cancellation of dozens of community blood drives, leading to a thirty-five percent drop in available units.
The shortage is so severe that ECU Health in Greenville had to rely on the State Highway Patrol to emergency-transport life-saving platelets when winter road conditions blocked standard delivery routes.
The impact is being felt directly in operating rooms from Wilmington to the Outer Banks, where some elective surgeries are being postponed to ensure enough blood remains on hand for trauma emergencies.
Platelets are in the shortest supply because they only remain viable for five days after donation. Health officials are issuing an urgent call for donors, particularly those with type O negative blood, to visit permanent donation centers in Greenville, Wilmington, or Jacksonville.
With a high demand driven by a heavy respiratory virus season, the Red Cross warns that without a surge in local donors this week, the strain on Eastern North Carolina’s healthcare system will continue to intensify.
