Red Cross Declares Blood Emergency
Red Cross Declares Blood Emergency
FARMINGTON ââ The American Red Cross, Connecticut Blood Services Region this week issued an emergency appeal for blood donors. The shortage of blood is so severe in Connecticut that the Red Cross has advised hospital blood banks that there may not be enough blood on the shelves to support surgery needs this week.
âI havenât seen a shortage this serious in 25 years,â said Richard Cable, medical director for Connecticut Blood Services Region. âThis is a very real blood emergency and we need the publicâs immediate help.â
According to the Red Cross, blood collections leading up to and through the July 4th holiday were dismal and the shortage of blood donors has left Red Cross shelves near empty. Optimally, 650 pints of blood must be collected each day in Connecticut to supply the transfusion needs of area hospitals. In recent days, collections were well below half of that amount.
 In June, there were 3,719 fewer blood donations than expected. The July 4th holiday has made a bad situation even worse. Because blood donations have dropped across the country, importing blood into Connecticut is not possible.
Red Cross officials said that six of the eight blood types are below a âsafeâ three-day supply; of particular concern are O-negative and O-positive blood types.
O-negative blood is the universal blood type, which can be safely transfused to any patient. This blood type is used in emergency situations when there is no time to type the patientâs blood.
Volunteer blood donations help patients being treated for accidents, routine surgeries and serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease and hemophilia. Giving blood is easy, safe and takes less than one hour, but only about 5 percent of the estimated 60 percent of eligible Americans donate blood.
Most healthy people who are at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more are eligible to donate every 56 days. The Red Cross urges everyone to make an appointment immediately by calling 800-GIVE LIFE (800-448-3543), or visit www.bloodct.org to find a listing of community blood drives. The next blood drive in Newtown will be held at Edmond Town Hall on Wednesday, July 16, from 8:30 am to 6:15 pm.