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Blood supply critically low now The American Red Cross has officially declared an emergency appeal for blood donation on January 24, 2007 in light of continued shortfalls in the blood inventory is calling upon all eligible blood donors, especially those with types O and B blood, to give blood over the coming weeks in order to raise the blood supply to a safe and stable level. There is currently an URGENT need for blood donation, as some 700 units of blood are needed per day in the Alabama and Central Gulf Coast Region alone just to meet hospital requests. Currently, blood supplies for most types have dropped to less than a day's supply, meaning elective surgeries will be postponed and everyone who needs blood may not receive blood. Below are the types the American Red Cross currently needs to ensure that blood stocks are at the proper levels: +O Positive- Critical +O Negative- Critical +A Negative- Critical +B Negative- URGENT (Critical= 1-2 day supply; URGENT= Less than one day supply) Over half the blood ordered by hospitals is Type O blood, because O Positive blood can be transfused into patients with any other Rh Positive blood type and O Negative blood can be transfused into all patients. O Negative donors are "universal donors," and O Positive blood is equally important to maintaining an efficient blood inventory. When you give blood, you truly become a lifesaver. Every two seconds, someone, whether a neighbor, family member or complete stranger, needs blood in order to continue living. The American Red Cross must collect an average of 700 units of blood per day in order to simply meet the demand in our region alone. The victim of a car accident could need anywhere from four to 100 units of blood, and a bypass patient could require as many as six units of blood in order to survive. Because of this, every donation becomes that much more critical to the community, and each donation represents a selfless gift of life given on the part of a donor.
To find a drive near you, please call 1-800-GIVELIFE or visit www.redcrossblood. org or www.alacgc.org for a listing of drives.
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