"Obviously trauma and things don't take a break," said Annette Rowland, spokesperson for the American Red Cross of Mississippi and Alabama. "Trauma, cancer treatments, sickle cell patients, they don't get to take a break during the holidays and blood donations tend to see a decrease because routines are different."
The busyness of the holidays, as well as fewer blood drives, are part of that change in routine. But Rowland added it's around this time that blood transfusions are needed more often.
"When you start to add in winter weather risk across the nation, then you start to see not only that trauma increase because of the roads and the holiday travel, and people having more accidents," Rowland said.
According to Mississippi Blood Services, there's also a severe shortage of positive and negative O and B-type blood.
Marketing and public relations director Kasey Dickson says O-type is especially important, with O-negative being the universal donor type.
"Patients come into the hospital, whether, again, it's an accident or something that's happened tragically, they don't necessarily know their blood types," Dickson said. "So being able to provide a universal donor that can accept it across the board is a lot easier."
The Blood Center, which serves South Louisiana and Mississippi, along with Mississippi's Gulf Coast, is specifically asking for New Year donations in remembrance of the victims of the New Orleans Bourbon Street terrorist attack.
In a press release, the center's medical director, Dr. Tim Peterson, said that in the days before New Year's 2025, their donations dropped by over 50%.
“It is critical that the public stay aware that they can give the gift of life by donating every 56 days when eligible,” Peterson said in the release.
While the holidays do present particular challenges in blood donations, Rowland also pointed out that this has become a regular issue for them as well.
"Mississippi consistently faces a high demand," she said. "Honestly, in between the two states, we don't collect enough to even always meet that demand here."
"You have chronic illness: you have many sickle cell patients who are requiring those consistent blood transfusions to get rid of their pain, and then because you have rural hospitals that are relying on that regional blood supply."
Mississippi Blood Services has locations Flowood, Cleveland and Oxford that take donations, and Red Cross has locations in Flowood, Gulfport and Tupelo.
