Adm. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services. This summer, the American Red Cross declared an emergency blood shortage in the U.S. There’s a seasonal pattern to blood donations, which often dip over the summer and during the winter holidays. But experts also say that climate change disrupts the national blood supply, with extreme heat and worsening storms in certain regions keeping people away from blood banks. “The shortage is not over,” Adm. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said to STAT, noting that shortages happen periodically. As of Monday, 28 out of 59 community blood centers operated by America’s Blood Centers had just a one-to-two-day supply of blood. Nine centers had less than a day’s worth. It takes at least three days’ worth of supply to meet normal operating demands, according to the organization, which provides more than half of the U.S. blood supply. advertisement “The only way to solve this is more donations,” Levine added. “There’s no other way that we can get red blood cells and platelets and plasma.” Levine’s office is working to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation and the threat that climate change poses to health more broadly. But some have argued that HHS — and particularly the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, which is under Levine’s purview — has not done enough to protect public health in the face of climate change. In a conversation with STAT, Levine responded to that criticism. She also provided an update on the blood shortage and spoke about the politicization of gender-affirming care for youth. Facing climate change and restrictions on health care like gender services and abortion, Levine remains “a positive and optimistic person,” […]