How Health Systems Can Address the National Blood Shortage, Increase Blood Donations

Jennifer Andrews, MD, pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and medical director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s blood bank, discusses what health systems can do to address the national blood shortage and increase blood donations.

Pharmacy Times interviewed Jennifer Andrews, MD, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the medical director of the blood bank, on the national blood shortage in the United States. As the national inventory was beginning to recover toward the end of this summer, COVID-19 cases began to significantly increase as a result of the Delta variant, directly impacting donor turnout.

During the discussion, Andrews discussed what health systems can do to address the national blood shortage and increase blood donations.