KVRR

By Brandon Blakney

The Red Cross is looking to address a blood shortage that’s the worst the organization has seen in a decade.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and medical professionals from across the country addressed their concerns of a lack of donations and staff shortages in hospitals.

Leaders are worried emergency blood will not be available for patients in need especially because January is normally the slowest month for donations. One strategy is to attract more millennials to volunteer to donate blood.

“Younger people are actually very, as I point out, at every college graduation I speak at they’re very community minded, right? They think about the world around us,” Klobuchar said.

We’re engaging the youth and there are clubs so to speak, and they put on blood drives. Obviously it’s a little bit down now but we hope to reengage,” University of Minnesota Assistant Professor David Hamlar said.