Klobuchar to hold virtual roundtable on blood shortage
In this Jan. 15, 2109 file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.[AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster]
January is National Blood Donor Month, and blood banks throughout Minnesota are in desperate need of donations.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, blood banks report donations have dropped by nearly 10%.
As a way to kick off the month, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is hosting a roundtable Monday afternoon to talk with medical experts about how to address the crisis.
According to the Red Cross, about 37% of the population is eligible to donate blood, but less than 3% regularly do.
That leaves more than 110 million potential donors who could still sign-up.
The virtual roundtable will be held at 2 p.m. and will include professionals with the American Red Cross of Minnesota and Dakotas Region, as well as Memorial Blood Centers in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Duluth and Fargo.