Friday, November 22, 2002
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Friday, November 22, 2002 |
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Blood drive in PTC Saturday will help with holiday shortage By JOHN
MUNFORD The American Red Cross is holding a special blood drive at The Gathering Place in Peachtree City Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. The drive comes at the beginning of the holiday season when blood supplies can trickle down to less than a day's worth for certain types of blood, said Cammie Barnes of the American Red Cross Blood Services Southern Region. Officials prefer to have a three-day supply on hand to meet the needs of local hospitals, Barnes said. Donors with type O or B blood are especially needed, Barnes said. "Maybe they can bring a friend or family member with them; that would be great," Barnes said. The holiday shortage is mainly due to schools and businesses not being able to host blood drives as they normally would because of the holidays, Barnes said. People wishing to donate blood can either walk-in or schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or via the Internet by visiting www.givelife.org. The entire process takes approximately one hour, Barnes said. The regularly scheduled blood drives at The Gathering Place on the first Monday of each month have been successful, Barnes said. But the Saturday date allows others to donate who can't on Mondays and future blood drives may be planned for Saturdays on a regular basis, she added. The Red Cross encourages people to donate blood twice a year. If every eligible donor followed that guideline, there would never be a blood shortage, Barnes said.
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