Red Cross feeling the pinch
American Red Cross

by LAUREN HOUGH \ Journal Staff Writer

MARTINSBURG  Since July 13, the American Red Cross Blood Services Greater Alleghenies Region has collected 1,300 fewer donations than forecast - a dip that can't be attributed to any common fear of needles.

"Due to the hot weather and people being away on vacation and school breaks, we've struggled the past couple of weeks to collect blood," said Marianne Spampinato, director of public relations for the 100-county region. "That's equal to a day-and-a-half's collection lost in the past 11 days."

Many would-be donors are off doing other things during the summer, which results in the struggle that many blood banks, including the Red Cross, experience, she said. The shortage has not been region-wide but has had a profound effect on the entire Red Cross system.

In addition to travel taking people away from their homes and local blood drives, extreme heat in early July, as well as flooding in nearby regions which rendered some donation sites temporarily useless, caused numbers to drop even further.

Slightly more than 10 percent of all annual collections for the region come from high school-sponsored drives, Spampinato said. An additional 9 percent of those collections come from colleges.

"Nearly 20 percent of our annual collections are disrupted during summer months," she said. That works out to nearly 15 percent lost nationwide when schools are in recess.

In the Greater Alleghenies Region, less than a day's supply of Type O negative, Types A negative and B negative bloods currently exist and less than a two-day's supply of Type O positive is readily available, according to a Red Cross press release.

Making every attempt to hold blood drives in air conditioned buildings has helped encourage people to "come in and chill out for an hour or so," Spampinato said.

Unique marketing efforts, like the current "Keep Your Motor Running" campaign, have also enticed first-time, and longtime donors during the summer months. The promotion, which is running from May 1 until Sept. 30, allows donors to leave with a free, black biker-themed T-shirt and a chance to enter a drawing to win a 2006 Harley Davidson.

"This is our way of trying to create some additional excitement about donating blood during the summer months," Spampinato said.

For lists of blood drive dates by location, donors may visit www.redcrosslife.org or call (800)-448-3543. Anyone with questions on their eligibility to donate blood may call a Red Cross nurse at (800)-542-5663.

Many people with chronic conditions, or those taking medications, are eligible to donate blood, Spampinato said. Even those who have had certain types of cancer, and who have been in remission for five years, may even be eligible again.

"People would be surprised," she said.

Every medical condition is different, however, and would have to be cleared with a staff nurse.

Healthy donors at least 17 years old and 110 pounds may donate whole blood every 56 days. To calculate your next donation date, visit www.givelife.org.

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