How could severe winter weather affect the nation’s blood supply?
It’s because the weather was so nasty during the massive blast in mid-March, especially in the northeastern states, that at least 250 blood drives had to be canceled.
The American Red Cross in late March released a bulletin urging people everywhere to donate blood. What’s needed most are platelets, type O-negative blood and type AB blood.
Platelets, a component of blood, are tiny cells that help blood clot and are used extensively during cancer treatments. Type O-negative blood can be transfused to patients, no matter what their blood type happens to be. Type AB blood (known as the “universal plasma”) can also be transplanted to any patient, regardless of blood type, in an emergency. Less than 7 percent of people have blood that is Type O-negative.
Those types of blood, along with platelets, are most in demand at hospitals. The American Red Cross gives blood to about 2,600 hospitals nationwide. In the North Central American Red Cross region, which includes Minnesota, 108 hospitals receive blood supplies from people’s donations to the Red Cross.
Giving blood is not only life-saving, it’s easy. The only criteria is one must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental permission), weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health.
Blood that is collected is processed, often into components like plasma. It’s also tested for safety before being packaged and distributed. Countless numbers of lives have been saved thanks to blood transfusions, in trauma emergencies and in treatment processes. It is literally true that “giving the gift of blood is giving the gift of life.”
To find out more about donating blood or to make an appointment to donate, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org.
On the website, it’s also possible to find local donation sites by typing in one’s zip code.
The following are blood-donation dates and times for the St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St.
Saturday, April 1: 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 2: 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Monday, April 3: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 6: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Friday, April 7: 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 8: 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 9: 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
