Mississippi’s blood supply has reached critically low levels as a national shortage continues to strain hospitals and donation centers across the state. The American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis for only the second time in its history, and organizations in Mississippi say nearly all blood types are now in high demand. The Blood Center in New Orleans is also warning that donations are running dry in South Mississippi, adding to the regional pressure.
Kobee Vance
Blood supplies in Mississippi reach critical lows, donations urgently needed
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At Mississippi Blood Services, spokesperson Kacey Dickson said the need is visible the moment you step into their storage areas. Walking through the back hallways, she points out that the shelves in their blood refrigerator are nearly empty. She said, “It makes your heart hurt. Because that just answers the call to action that we’ve got to help patients in Mississippi. And right now, we need the products on our shelves in order to do so.”
Dickson adds that in order to keep up with demand, the organization would need to take in roughly 250 donations each day.
Blood supplies at Mississippi Blood Services (7/29/2026)
Summer typically brings lower donations as school drives are paused, and many people travel. But this summer has been unusually low, and Dickson said, and there’s no clear cause. She said, “We would like to have at least weeks' worth, and we are well below that. On a daily intake volume, we are down about 20-30% of what we normally would have been taking.”
Type O blood remains the most urgently needed across Mississippi hospitals. Annette Rowland with the Red Cross of Alabama and Mississippi said that’s the blood doctors reach for when there’s no time to test someone’s blood before administering a transfusion.
She said, “In a life-threatening emergency, when you don’t have time to test blood type, that’s when they grab for that O blood. And when that blood isn’t there, that means that they’re now having to limit who can have O blood. And that’s not a decision that anybody wants to make.”
Blood drives and donation centers are open across Mississippi. Rowland said if anyone considering donating has questions about whether they are eligible, they can go online to find out more or call ahead.
“People that are eligible to donate, maybe they’ve donated before, go ahead and schedule that appointment so that you can donate,” said Rowland. “And then for people who have thought maybe they should donate blood, but they haven’t actually taken that first step to do so, this is the perfect time to do it and become a first-time blood donor.”
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