In an effort to help the hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast,the Muncie branches of the American Red Cross are promoting severalblood drives in Delaware County this month.
Geri Franks, director of blood services for the American RedCross, said because of power outages along the Gulf Coast, stateslike Alabama and Florida are experiencing major bloodshortages.
"It's a mess down there," Franks said. "We need to come togetheras a community and show the nation we can help where blood isneeded."
Ball Memorial Hospital has scheduled several blood drives onBall State's campus next week. Its effort is more localized,especially since a blood shortage last week, Sharon Rhodes, donorservices coordinator for Ball Memorial Hospital, said.
"Last week, we had a shortage of O positive," Rhodes said. "Thedemand fluctuates on a day-to-day basis."
BMH has blood drives scheduled for all but five days in October,Rhodes said.
Campus groups such as residence halls or student organizationsusually volunteer to sponsor the hospital blood drives, and Rhodessaid any group can call to schedule a drive for free.
"We find people are more inclined to donate if we go to wherethey are," Rhodes said. "We need more organizations to volunteer tohold our blood drives -- people on campus are responding tothat."
Blood shortages occur because each unit of blood must bequarantined for 24 hours of testing before use, Rhodes said. Thehospital needs to have it on-hand before the need arises.
"We try to anticipate how much we'll need," Rhodes said."Doctors notify us before major surgeries, but when there's anemergency or an accident -- that's when problems occur. We neverknow what type or how much we'll need."
The need for blood increases during November and December,because more accidents occur during the holiday season.
"There is one major problem with BMH blood drives on campus,"Rhodes said. "Too often, the rooms are not large enough to hold allthe donors and equipment. Students don't feel like waiting in lineto give blood, so they leave, and we lose donors."
One student can save up to three lives by donating blood onetime, Franks said.
"We love to see the student population getting involved byhelping cancer patients, burn victims and other people who needtransfusions," Franks said. "Blood donors can have a huge impact onsomeone's life."
Rhodes said giving blood is not like any other volunteeractivity.
"We need the blood every single day," Rhodes said. "You don'thave to write a check, and you can save someone's life right here,right now."
The Red Cross will have a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. onSaturday at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.
BMH will have a blood drive from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday atUniversity Scheidler Apartments and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. onWednesday at Studebaker West Complex.
To give blood, people must be at least 17 years old, 110 poundsand in good general health, according to the American Red Cross.Donors can give blood every eight weeks.
Walk-ins are welcome, and people taking high blood pressuremedicine, birth control pills or other medications are stilleligible to give blood, Franks said.
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