Ozarks blood centers feel effects of nationwide shortage

Blood centers in the Ozarks are feeling the effects of a nationwide shortage amid the pandemic, the Joplin Globe reports.

Dr. Claudia Cohn, chief medical officer for the American Association of Blood Banks, said the blood shortage is “unprecedented in its scope."

Springfield-based Community Blood Center of the Ozarks and the American Red Cross are among organizations facing severe shortages of all blood types, according to the report.

“Usage is up, collections are down, so it’s not a good situation for our local hospitals and the patients in the area. This is not what we want to see," said Anthony Roberts, executive director of Community Blood Center of the Ozarks.

Read more from the Joplin Globe.