Credit: Red Cross
When volunteer firefighter Emily Gindele describes her life today, she speaks of a second chance.
In 2023, a catastrophic car accident instantly killed her boyfriend, Colin Reedy, and left Gindele trapped in the wreckage with a ruptured spleen, a fractured skull, and a body losing blood at a what is often a fatal rate.
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Her survival hinged on the anonymous generosity of strangers who donate the units of blood already waiting on the hospital shelves when she arrived.
“Without the blood transfusion, I would have died,” Gindele shared. “That blood gave me another chance at life.”
Today, the very safety net that saved Gindele, a Chester County resident, is under serious strain.
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The American Red Cross has declared an emergency blood shortage after its national inventory plummeted by nearly 25 percent throughout June.
As distributions to hospitals are tracking nearly 3,500 units higher per week than anticipated, the shortage has created a gap between supply and patient need.
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The deficit in blood arrives at the worst possible time – the height of the summer “trauma season,” a period when hospitals historically experience a surge in demand for blood products.
The crisis has been fueled by a steep decline in donations since late May, which is triggered by busy summer schedules and the seasonal loss of school-sponsored blood drives, according to Red Cross officials.
The emergency is critical for platelets, type O-positive, and type B-negative blood.
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“A readily available blood supply serves as the backbone of modern medicine,” said Dr. Courtney Lawrence, medical director for the Red Cross. “Without it, lifesaving treatments and critical access points to care are not possible.”
Lawrence warned that if the trend isn’t reversed, the consequences will ripple across every department.
Emergency rooms, operating theaters, and labor and delivery units will struggle to support patients facing immediate crises, while cancer treatments face delays.
“We’re asking donors to give now,” Dr. Lawrence said, “before doctors are forced to make those difficult decisions.”
Part of the challenge comes from widespread misconceptions about how the medical system maintains its supply.
A recent Red Cross survey showed a divide between public perception and reality.
Fewer than 1 in 5 respondents realized that blood cannot be stockpiled indefinitely. It has a strict shelf life and relies on a continuous cycle of volunteer replenishment, the American Red Cross said.
Only about half of those surveyed believed it was very likely that they or someone close to them would ever need a transfusion. In reality, someone in the United States requires blood every two seconds, the American Red Cross said.
As they work to rebuild the blood reserve, the Red Cross is calling on anyone who can to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
Donations can be booked by downloading the Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
As a way to encourage donors to step forward, everyone who comes to give blood between July 13 and July 31, will receive a Fandango Movie Ticket via email (covering up to $15 toward the ticket price and fees). Complete details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/July.
Donations can be made Tuesday through Saturday at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center at 100 North Bucks Town Drive in Middletown Township. For more information, visit the Red Cross website.
Upcoming blood drives in Bucks County:
Bensalem: 7/23/2026: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Parx Casino, East Building, 2999 Street Road
Buckingham: 7/23/2026: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m., Buckingham Township Building, 4613 Hughesian Drive
Chalfont: 7/30/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Chalfont Fire Company, 301 N. Main St.
Churchville: 7/29/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., North and Southampton Reformed Church, 1380 Bristol Road
Doylestown: 7/15/2026: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m., Our Lady of Guadalupe, 5194 Cold Spring Creamery Road
7/16/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Living Hope Community Church, 311 W. State St.
7/21/2026: 3 p.m. – 8 p.m., Doylestown United Methodist Church, 320 E. Swamp Road
7/29/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Fred Beans Ford, 876 N. Easton Road
7/31/2026: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., Penn Medicine Doylestown Hospital, 595 W. State St.
Feasterville-Trevose: 7/13/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., John Kennedy Ford Truck Center of Feasterville, 3 W. Street Road
Hatfield: 7/30/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Inline309, 2117 Bethlehem Pike
Hilltown Township: 7/29/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Good Shepherd Church, 1634 Hilltown Pike
Hulmeville: 7/26/2026: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., William Penn Fire Company, 123 Main St.
Langhorne: 7/20/2026: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sesame Place Administration Building, 100 Sesame Road
7/22/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Fred Beans Ford of Langhorne, 1939 Lincoln Highway
Levittown: 7/23/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., United Christian Church, 8525 New Falls Road
Morrisville: 7/24/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Lower Makefield Township Building, 1100 Edgewood Road
New Hope: 7/25/2026: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church, 1 Riverstone Circle
Newtown: 7/27/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Fred Beans Ford of Newtown, 10 N. Sycamore St.
Perkasie: 7/22/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Bucks County Community College, Upper Bucks Campus, South Building, 1 Hillendale Road
Quakertown: 7/14/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., West End Fire Company, 1319 Park Ave.
7/21/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., West End Fire Company, 1319 Park Ave.
Richboro: 7/30/2026: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Council Rock School District STAR Center, 30 Upper Holland Road
Sellersville: 7/14/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Sellersville Moose Lodge No. 1539, 301 W. Park Ave.
Southampton: 7/30/2026: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Southampton Estates, 238 Street Road
Warminster: 7/24/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., First Presbyterian Church of Warminster, 500 Madison Ave.
7/27/2026: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., The Fuge, 780 Falcon Circle
Warrington: 7/22/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., St. Robert Bellamine Church, 856 Euclid Ave.
Yardley: 7/20/2026: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Woodside Presbyterian Church, 1667 Edgewood Road
