William Penn Life, 2001 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2001-02-01 / 2. szám
Charitable Ideas Donating Blood Become a lifesaver from HealthAtoZ.com Need blood? More and more people do for surgeries and procedures. Blood collections are rising, which is good news. The bad news is the demand 4s increasing faster than collections, and the nation's blood banks say they are facing persistent supply problems. Donations traditionally slump during the Christmas holiday season, as colleges, schools and businesses that normally host blood drives close and families take vacations. An outbreak of influenza and bad weather can also affect donations, as evidenced by the December snow and ice storms in the Northeast and Midwest that forced cancellation of numerous blood drives. But maintaining an adequate amount of blood for surgeries, trauma victims and treatment of diseases is becoming a year-round problem, says Harvey Klein, MD, chief of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and president of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). American Red Cross officials issued national alerts for donors last January, July and September-more Give gift of life * Donate blood on a regular basis (3 to 6 times a year). * Invite family members age 17 or older to donate with you. * Work with your WPA branch, church, or workplace to sponsor a blood drive. than in recent years—because supplies were critically low at many of its 36 regional centers. The national organization collected nearly 3 percent more blood in its last fiscal year, but distributions rose 4.3 percent. "For a variety of reasons, we are much [shorter] of blood on a national basis than we have ever been," Klein said. "We always expect blood to be there, but hospital orders are being partially filled and transfusions are being delayed, along with elective surgeries." The Impact Just one pint of donated blood can help save the lives of several people... One pint of blood can be separated into several components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma... Red blood cells must be used within 42 days ... Platelets must be used within five days... Plasma can be frozen and used for up to one year... Blood fights against infection and helps heal wounds ... Platelets help blood to clot and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live... Plasma helps maintain blood pressure, carries blood cells, nutrients, enzymes, and hormones, and supplies critical proteins for blood clotting and immunity... Much of today's medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from healthy donors ... Every three seconds someone needs blood... If all blood donors gave at least twice a year, it would greatly strengthen the nation's blood supply... There is no substitute for human blood. About 4 million people receive blood transfusions in the United States every year. That number is expected to rise as the U.S. population grows older and since procedures and surgeries that require numerous transfusions are becoming more common. At the same time, the pool of donors has not increased to meet the demand of providing 32,000 units of blood every day in the U.S. Sixty percent of Americans are eligible to give blood, but only five percent, or about 8 million people, do so each year, according to the AABB. Last year's national poll by the Red Cross showed 76 percent of Americans expect blood to be available when they need it, but 72 percent underestimate the demand for blood and 70 percent don't know how long blood can be safely stored. "You assume if you are hit by a car today, there will be just as much blood as you need. It only remains the case if people donate blood," Klein said. |jj|[] Charity Links To learn more about donating blood or about how your branch can sponsor a blood drive, contact your local blood donor center or Red Cross chapter. Or, contact O The American Red Cross I-800-GIVE-LIFE www. redcross. org O The American Association of Blood Banks 1-866-376-6968 www.aabb.org O America’s Blood Centers (202) 393-5725 www.americasblood.org Willian Phi Lift, February 2001 7
