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01.11.2010 Red Cross issues urgent need for blood
As a result of the recent bad weather across the country, on the heels of the holiday season, the blood supply has drastically decreased in the Carolinas Region. Type O negative and type B negative blood supplies have dropped to emergency levels and help is needed now! Since type O negative blood can be used for any patient when there is not time to determine the patient’s blood type, it is crucial that there is a sufficient supply.
In Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, there are two donor centers, as well as plenty of upcoming blood drives:
Park Road Donor Center
2425 Park Road
Charlotte, NC 28203
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Friday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Huntersville Donor Center
Calhoun building
Huntersville Business Park
9800 Kincey Ave.
Huntersville, NC 28078
Hours: Monday: 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday, Saturday: 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For local blood drives, click here: http://redcrosshelps.org/calendar/
Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. The American Red Cross Carolinas Blood Services Region provides lifesaving blood to 103 hospitals and must have 1,600 people give blood and platelets each weekday to meet hospital demand. Accident victims as well as patients with cancer, sickle cell disease, blood disorders and other illnesses receive lifesaving transfusions every day. There is no substitute for blood and volunteer donors are the only source.
The Red Cross encourages people who are in good health to donate so that hospital patients have the blood or platelets they need to make a full recovery. Blood is needed to help treat a variety of patients including accident victims and individuals undergoing surgery and cancer treatment.
Blood can be safely donated every 56 days. Most healthy people age 17 and older, or 16 with parental consent, who weigh at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood and platelets. Donors who are 18 and younger must also meet specific height and weight requirements.
For more information or to locate a nearby blood drive, please call 1-800-GIVE LIFE (448-3543) or visit RedCrossBlood.org.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://www.redcrosshelps.org or join our blog at http://redcrosshelps.org/crossblog.