Study looks into possibility of paying people to donate blood

Researchers are trying to find new ways to get younger people to donate blood as the pandemic pushes the country's blood supply to critically low levels.

DONATE BLOOD.THIS... AS THEPANDEMIC PUSHESTHE COUNTRY'SBLOOD SUPPLY TOCRITICALLY LOWLEVELS.NBC 26 TODAYANCHOR BROOKEHAFS REPORTS.THE DONOR POOL ISAGING-- ANDYOUNGER PEOPLEAREN'T STEPPING UPTO FILL THE GAPS.FOR DECADES-- THESUPPLY HAS RELIEDON DONORS BEINGMOTIVATED SIMPLY TOHELP OTHERS.A RECENT STUDYLOOKS AT THE IDEAOF PAYING PEOPLE TOGIVE BLOOD.THAT'S SOMETHINGALREADY BEING DONEFOR PLASMADONATIONS-- BUTNOT FOR WHOLEBLOOD.THE STUDY FOUNDABOUT 80-PERCENTOF COLLEGE-AGEPEOPLE WOULD BEWILLING TO GIVEBLOOD IF THEY WEREPAID.".....TRT: 20secChristopher France /Distinguished Professor ofPsychology, OhioUniversity"A concern might be thatpayment leads people tobe externally motivated togive blood.

That they'redoing it for the money.(09:05) But people are byand large doing this at thebeginning because they'realso feeling very altruistic.The reality is, we can holdtwo ideas in our head atthe same time.

(09:13) Wecan say, oh it's nice to getpaid for this, but we alsorecognize that we're doingsomething for our fellowhuman beings."......."PSYCHOLOGISTSSAY ONE WAY TOADDRESS THATCONCERN IS TOOFFER DONORSOPTIONS ON WHAT TODO WITH THEPAYMENT.THEY COULD KEEP ITOR DONATE IT TOCHARITY.THERE'S ALSOCONCERNS OVERGETTING DONORS TOKEEP COMING BACK.PAYMENT ANDREDUCING FEARSCOULD HELP WITHTHAT.IN MARCH-- THESURGEON GENERALMADE A NATIONALPLEA FOR MOREBLOOD DONATIONS.DEMOGRAPHIC DATAFROM A MAJOR TEXASCENTER SUGGESTSTHE EMERGENCYAPPEAL DID NOT HELPCLOSE THE AGE GAP.BROOKE HAFS.NBC26.COMING UP..THEY WERE