Summer is fast approaching, Pride season is here and fun in the sun vibes are everywhere. Problem is, there’s a real summer bummer headed our way. The good news? You can help.
The American Red Cross put out an urgent call Friday. The national blood supply dropped by several thousand units in just a week. The “100 Deadliest Days” of summer hasn’t even hit full swing yet.
The Supply Problem
Problem is scheduled appointments drive about 90 percent of all blood donations and people aren’t booking. They’re also cancelling and some just aren’t showing up. The blood supply numbers have crashed and are continuing to do so. This is why the urgent call for you to help.
All types are needed, but especially Type O negative. Type O negative is what they use first in emergencies. When there’s no time to type and cross-match, you use O negative. It’s in dangerously low supply. So are Type A-negative and Type B-positive. Platelets are their own problem entirely — they expire in five days. Platelets are what help blood to clot. With platelets, you can’t build a reserve. Every week they need to start from scratch.
The 100 Deadliest Days
Memorial Day to Labor Day is known as the “100 Deadliest Days” and the name fits. Deadly crashes involving teen drivers go up 30 percent during those days every year. Here’s a sobering stat to ponder: One serious car accident victim can burn through up to 100 units of blood. That’s no exaggeration.
Trauma centers need blood sitting on the shelf before the patient arrives. There’s no ordering more once someone’s bleeding out.
West Hollywood’s 2025 numbers make that local. The City recorded 991 traffic collision investigations last year. That’s up 30 percent from 762 the year before. Pedestrian strikes jumped from 54 to 82. Fatal collisions went from two to four. DUI-related crashes rose 76 percent.
West Hollywood Has More Eligible Donors Than It Used To
For most of the last 40 years, a big chunk of this City’s population couldn’t legally give blood at all. The FDA put a lifetime ban on donations from gay and bisexual men in 1985 due to the AIDS crisis. At the time, there was no approved HIV screening test for donated blood yet.
The ban didn’t go anywhere for three decades. In 2015 it became a 12-month celibacy requirement — which most men in relationships weren’t going to clear. In 2020 that dropped to 90 days. In May 2023 the FDA scrapped the whole framework. The donor questionnaire is now identical for everyone. No questions specific to men who have sex with men. Individual risk factors only, same as any other donor.
How to Donate
Schedule at RedCrossBlood.org, through the Blood Donor app, or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Donors who give through May 31 get a Red Cross beach towel while supplies last. Donate June 1 through June 28 and get a $15 e-gift card plus a shot.
Related Coverage
They’re Out for Blood, WeHo. This Time That Means You — Yes, Even You. — West Hollywood hosted a blood drive with UCLA Health in April. The full history of the federal ban on gay and bisexual male donors — and the 2023 FDA rule change that ended it.
West Hollywood Traffic Collisions Surged 30 Percent in 2025 — 991 collision investigations. Four fatalities. DUI crashes up 76 percent. The full numbers from the annual West Hollywood Sheriff’s report.
