Blood Needed to Make Up for Cancelled Drives

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The Red Cross urges all eligible donors to give throughout the month of February in order to maintain the blood supply

The American Red Cross urges all eligible donors to make and keep their blood donation appiontments throughout the month of February. Although the blood supply is stable, the loss of more than 200 donations due to weather cancellations must be made up in order to prevent a potential blood shortage. The loss had a potential to save more than 600 lives.

Plunging temperatures and other hazardous winter weather has caused local blood drives to be cancelled during the week of February 4, 2007, affecting the flow of blood donations at the local Red Cross. Replenishing the blood supply takes time, but must begin now. Areas affected by the frigid cold will need to rebuild the supply to optimal levels while unaffected areas must maintain efforts to continue to meet local needs.

More than 38,000 units of blood are needed daily to meet patient need throughout the United States. While the demad for blood climbs at a rate of 6-8 percent each year, blood donations only increase by 2-3 percent. What bigger difference can you make in a person's life than to give them life itself? The gift of life runs through you. Please give blood.

ABOUT THE RED CROSS
The Mid-America Division of the American Red Cross supplies blood products to nearly 250 hospitals in 10 states and across the nation. The Red Cross relies on the generosity of more than 370,000 volunteer blood donors, nearly 8,300 blood drive coordinators and more than 2,100 employees to collect the blood that helps sve thousands of lives each year. The Mid-America Division is one of 10 Red Cross Blood Services Divisions located throughout the United States. Together, these divisions collect nearly half the nation's blood supply.

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