Blood supplies across Northern Virginia have fallen to critically low levels this summer, and organizations including Inova, the American Red Cross and health tech startup Goodlabs are urging area residents to schedule donations.
The Fairfax County Times reported on Friday that local leaders called the situation critical for patients needing transfusions, particularly cancer patients and those facing emergency surgery. The Red Cross declared a national shortage after the blood supply fell 35%.
The numbers explain the urgency. About 25% of donated blood goes directly to cancer patients, and 1 in 89 childbirths requires a massive transfusion, according to Grant Brewster, CEO of Goodlabs. Red blood cells last just 42 days on the shelf, making consistent summer donations essential to keeping hospitals like Reston Hospital Center stocked through the season.
Younger donors disappearing
Blood donations among younger Americans have dropped 40% compared with a decade ago, according to data from America's Blood Centers. Nationally, less than 3% of eligible Americans give blood. Summer compounds the problem as regular donors travel and skip appointments.
Brewster, who was diagnosed with genetic hemochromatosis and must donate blood regularly to manage excess iron buildup, founded Goodlabs in 2024 to pair free health screenings with donations.
"What we're trying to do is remove friction and add an incentive for people to donate," Brewster told WTOP in May. "The main thing here is that we're trying to really enable people to participate who historically can't afford these different types of health insights."
Free lab panels for donors at Centreville
Since April 1, Goodlabs has partnered with Inova Health System at the Inova CentreMed location in Centreville to offer donors free clinical-grade lab panels, including CBC, metabolic, lipids, hormones and heart-risk markers like ApoB and Lp(a). No extra needle stick is required.
Nicholas Lilly, senior director of Inova Blood Donor Services, said the program lets donors help save lives while learning about their own health through a single blood draw.
The Centreville site is the nearest confirmed Goodlabs-Inova donation location for Reston-area residents. Appointments can be booked at app.goodlabs.com/book-tests/donation.
How Reston residents can help
The Red Cross accepts scheduled and walk-in donors at area centers throughout the summer. Residents can book at redcrossblood.org, call 1-800-733-2767, or use the Red Cross Blood app. Inova Blood Donor Services also accepts appointments at its Northern Virginia locations.
Both the Goodlabs-Inova program at Centreville and Red Cross donation centers are accepting appointments on an ongoing basis through the summer.
