U.S. Senator Alex Padilla urges the public to give blood to address shortage

“Did you know that January is National Blood Donor Month? I donated today amid an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of donors in 20 years. Sign up to donate at your local hospital, blood donation center, or a Red Cross site near you.”

That’s how U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif, put it on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Jan. 12, as part of an effort to address an ongoing national need for blood donations. Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, Padilla joined the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region chapter to donate blood and encourage eligible people to donate.

The Red Cross has faced a nearly 7,000-unit shortfall in blood donations between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and has seen the number of donors fall by 40 percent in the past twenty years. Padilla urged the public to help meet the need for “blood products” including whole blood, red blood cells, plasma and platelets.

This is National Blood Donor Month, and Padilla says those who are interested can make an appointment to give blood or platelets by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).