Bluefield Daily Telegraph
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While we wake up each morning expecting the best, no one really knows when tragedy will strike.
When an accident or a medical emergency occurs, we expect health care professionals in our region to respond. If a blood transfusion is needed to save the life of a loved one, we expect the region’s blood supply to be adequately stocked. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case at the moment.
Blood donations over the last four months are currently 8 percent below last year’s levels for the 46-county Appalachian Blood Services region, which includes Mercer, McDowell and Tazewell counties. As a result, August collections are now 20 percent below targeted goals.
Unfortunately, summer is a time when the American Red Cross normally sees a lower number of donors and blood drives, due in part to high schools and colleges being out and a large number of families, including many who are normal blood donors, traveling out of town on vacation.
However, current blood supply levels are alarming, and additional donors with all blood types are urgently needed. According to the American Red Cross, supply levels of type 0 negative, A negative and B negative are seriously low.
Local Red Cross officials are warning the agency has only a short time before the holiday season to rebuild their blood supplies. When the long holiday season arrives, blood donor levels will drop again.
According to Troy Stiffler, a donor recruiter with the Red Cross , giving blood is a duty to the community and has the potential to save lives.
“For one, there are lives that are dependent on blood,” Stiffler said. “We need it for emergency situations, elective surgeries and cancer patients. Cancer patients are the number one user of blood provided by the Red Cross.”
There will be several upcoming opportunities for area residents to help restock the region’s blood supply. On Sept. 7, a blood drive will be held at the Union Rescue Squad Center in Union between 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., with another drive at Welch Community Hospital. Potential blood donors must be in generally good health and be 17 years of age or 16 with written parental permission.
We would urge all regular donors, as well as those who are not regular blood donors, to consider helping the American Red Cross during this critical time. Those who are healthy enough to donate blood should consider doing so to help restock the region’s blood supply.
It is urgent that we restock all blood types so that help will be available for area residents if and when disaster strikes.
