Overview

• The Red Cross underscores a steady shortfall, noting that someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds.
• Although roughly 62% of Americans are eligible to donate, only about 3% do so, according to the organization.
• In 2025 many donation sites replaced finger-stick hemoglobin tests with a noninvasive finger sensor to make screening more comfortable.
• The Red Cross now provides free A1C testing at donations after a March offering found more than half of donors were unaware of their A1C levels.
• FDA guideline changes in 2023 expanded eligibility for more LGBTQ+ donors, and the Red Cross app enables appointment scheduling and RapidPass pre-screening.