<blockquote>More than 80 organizations are coming together during Blood Advocacy Week 2024 to urge action in support of the blood supply. Add your voice and urge your Members of Congress to support making our nation’s blood supply a national priority to ensure that blood is always available for those in need. These key actions will strengthen and diversify America’s donor base.&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote>


Urgent Action Needed: Strengthening America’s Blood Supply

Urge Congress to Take Key Actions That Will Strengthen and Diversify America’s Donor Base

More than 80 organizations are coming together during Blood Advocacy Week 2024 to urge action in support of the blood supply. I write to urge your support in making our nation’s blood supply a national priority and ensuring that blood is always available for those in need. It is crucial to take key actions to strengthen and diversify America’s donor base.

1. Only 3% of Americans donate blood each year, a shockingly low statistics that puts patient care at risk. Recent FDA changes in donor eligibility have expanded the pool of eligible individuals, but funding is needed to ensure awareness of these changes and the overall need to donate blood. I urge you to introduce legislation to provide targeted federal funding directly to blood centers to boost their education and awareness efforts, particularly among individuals from diverse communities and younger generations.

2. Time is of the essence when it comes to blood transfusions following traumatic injuries. One study found up to five percent increased odds of mortality for every minute of delay in access to blood. However, without sufficient reimbursement for the cost of having blood available for patients that need it, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) cannot provide life-saving transfusions. I urge you to introduce legislation to establish a demonstration program through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to examine pre-hospital blood transfusion.

3. Blood transfusions can be a vital part of end-of-life palliative care. Although CMS allows hospice to provide palliative transfusions, hospice providers rarely offer blood transfusions, even when they are essential palliative care, leading patients to delay enrolling in the Medicare hospice program or forego it altogether. The result is transfusion-dependent patients forego the holistic care hospice provides, resulting in dramatically lower end-of life quality measures at an increased cost to Medicare. I urge you to co-sponsor S. 2186, the Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act or introduce companion legislation in the House to create a demonstration program through CMMI to allow reimbursement for palliative blood transfusions outside of the hospice benefit, ensuring that all patients receive the end of life care they need.

I appreciate your attention to this critical matter and eagerly await your prompt reply. Together, let’s make strengthening America’s blood supply a national priority.

Urgent Action Needed: Strengthening America’s Blood Supply

Urge Congress to Take Key Actions That Will Strengthen and Diversify America’s Donor Base

Message

Dear Office Holder (names will be automatically added on each email),