A historic teacher strike in Oklahoma may hurt the state's blood supply, since 20 percent of blood donations come from high school blood drives, reports KTUL.
Tens of thousands of Oklahoma teachers launched a walkout last week to protest education funding cuts. Kids across Oklahoma have been out of school for five days, and many schools are expected to remain closed this week, according to The Washington Post.
These school closures are complicating blood collection for many blood banks. The Tulsa Red Cross has already canceled four blood drives amid the walkout. The Oklahoma Blood Institute moved its drives from schools to other locations, like community centers, which has hurt donations. Murry Estabrook, a teacher who oversees blood drives at Claremore (Okla.) High School, says the blood bank usually collects about 150 units during a normal drive at the school. However, the organization only collected 66 units of blood at a drive they were forced to move off-campus last week.
"If the other schools are struggling to get the numbers, that's gonna really hurt what we have in the blood banks," Mr. Estabrook told KTUL.
The Oklahoma Blood Institute said current blood supplies are steady due to a drop in demand last week. However, employees are closely watching supplies as the walkout continues.