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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2006
DAYTON, OH — (Wednesday, July 12, 2006) In order to beat the current blood shortage, Community Blood Center (CBC) needs at least 600 donors a day today and tomorrow and 500 donors a day on Thursday and Friday. Yesterday, CBC collected 274 usable pints of blood while area patients used 173 pints.
“If we do not collect 600 units a day over the next couple of days, we will not be able to crawl out of this hole we’re in,” stated Judith Woll, CEO of Community Blood Center. “We must collect 2,500 pints of blood this week to fully recover or the chronic blood shortage will simply continue.”
A less than a one day supply of most blood types on Monday prompted CBC to announce an immediate emergency appeal for blood donors. Currently, the area’s blood supply is 1,347 pints or 38% below safe and adequate levels. The inventory of type O+ (50% low) and O- (30% low) blood is over 700 pints below ideal levels or about HALF of a one day supply. (See the table below for inventory of types A & B).
CBC attributes the shortage to lower than needed donations especially during the week of the July 4 holiday during which CBC collected 500 pints less than during a typical week. In addition, the end of June had lower than normal collections. CBC has contacted over 40 other blood centers since July 5 in search available blood and has been told that these centers cannot help at this time due to their own low blood inventories. It is up to area residents to meet the blood needs of local patients.
CBC is asking healthy donors who have not given blood in the past two months to donate blood at this time. Donors need to bring a photo ID with their full name and their Social Security Number. A list of area community blood drives and donation locations is attached. CBC-Dayton, 349 S. Main St., is extending hours until 7:00 p.m. tonight through Thursday night.
Donors must be at least 17 years of age, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and be in good physical health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changes blood donor eligibility guidelines periodically. Individuals with eligibility questions are invited to email canidonate@cbccts.org or call 1-800-388-GIVE. Prospective donors with recent tattoos obtained in Kentucky or Ohio can now give blood as long as the tattoo area has healed and the procedure was done in a licensed tattoo parlor.
Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is registered to ISO 9001:2000. Community Blood Center provides blood products to 25 hospitals in the Miami (Ohio) and Whitewater (Indiana) Valleys. For more information about Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services, visit www.cbccts.org.
Please call the center nearest you to make an appointment.
Copyright 2005 Community Blood Center
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