Blood Facts

Background

Blood collection by the Red Cross began in 1941 as a volunteer program to provide blood for American and British troops in World War II. The public response was enthusiastic; the Red Cross began its civilian blood program in 1947 and currently supplies about half of the nation's supply of blood and blood products. Additionally, the Red Cross develops, tests and implements training programs in areas such as the operation of sophisticated blood testing laboratories and the selection of donors.

Research

The Red Cross operates a leading research laboratory in the world focused on blood services, the Holland Lab, staffed by world-renowned scientists. Each year, the Red Cross oversees dozens of scientific research projects, both basic and applied, to improve the safety, purity and efficacy of blood. In addition, the Red Cross maintains a system of National Reference Laboratories to help physicians resolve complex serological problems and identify rare blood. Hospital blood bank technologists call the Red Cross every day to resolve special blood typing issues in order to safely transfuse their patients.

Giving Blood

The Red Cross has one of the world’s largest registry of rare blood donors and maintains a frozen supply of rare blood available for immediate shipment around the globe. This registry is tapped daily, responding to more than 1,000 requests each year.

Every year, millions of units are collected from Red Cross volunteer blood donors. In Northern California, the Red Cross teams up with businesses, churches, schools and other community groups to host thousands of blood drives.

National Inventory Management System

The National Inventory Management System (NIMS) gives the Red Cross the ability to share vast quantities of precious blood resources during shortages or in times of natural disaster. The Red Cross Inventory Management Hub keeps Red Cross national headquarters aware of immediate and long-term blood shortages and supports the daily shipment of necessary blood supplies.