America’s Blood Supply ‘Adequate’ As Thousands Donate Nationwide

Both the American Red Cross and America's Blood Centers said that blood supplies were "adequate to meet the immediate demand" in the wake of yesterday's attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., as thousands of Americans across the country "line[d] up" to donate blood, USA Today reports. "We're mobilizing to be open 24 hours a day, and we're shipping blood to New York and Washington," Red Cross spokesperson Chris Thomas said, adding, "We have 80,000 units in inventory and we will commit to meet any need anywhere" (Manning/Davis, USA Today, 9/12). Red Cross Vice President Dr. Jerry Squires added, "We're working with the military in New York and New Jersey so we can get the blood in the appropriate hospitals" (Szekely/Boodhoo, Reuters/Contra Costa Times, 9/12). Dr. Robert Jones, CEO and president of the New York Blood Center, said that the demand for blood in New York was "less than originally feared." Noting that blood donation lines stretched along city blocks, he said, "We have had a remarkable response to donate blood. We have pretty much maxed out the ability of the city to collect blood right now" (Altman, New York Times, 9/12).

'As Soon as We Get It -- It Goes Out'
At Fairfax, Va.-based Inova Hospital, more than 350 people had donated blood by mid-afternoon, with 100 staffers "work[ing] furiously to process" it. While testing and shipping of donated blood normally takes 24 to 48 hours, one group of workers at Inova-Fairfax worked to collect donations while another in the lab immediately tested and packaged the blood for shipping. "As soon as get it -- it goes out," Kristin Gross of the Inova Blood Donor Services said. Melissa McMillan of America's Blood Centers -- the nation's network of independent blood centers -- said donations from individuals with type O or type B were most needed in the short term (USA Today, 9/12). Type O blood is "universal," meaning it can be transfused into anyone regardless of blood type (Reuters/Contra Costa Times, 9/11). "If you're type A or AB, save your blood and consider being a platelet donor, because we need platelets for burn victims. We need people to stagger their donations over the next two weeks," McMillan said (USA Today, 9/12).

HIV Screening
Screening procedures for HIV, hepatitis and other diseases could slow down the process of getting the blood to those in need, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Screening for HIV and other diseases usually takes 24 hours, but due to the influx of donations around the country, the screening process could take longer, Robert de Jongh, technical director for the Southeastern Community Blood Center in Tallahassee, said (Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat, 9/12). The Chicago Tribune reports that it could be two to three days before donated blood reaches patients due to the necessary screening procedures (Keilman/Manier, Chicago Tribune, 9/12). In Washington, D.C., naval medical officials were collecting "several hundred" HIV testing kits from area hospitals to test donated blood. Red Cross officials in the Washington area said that the local blood supply is "adequate," but people are encouraged to donate if they can (Ramstack, Washington Times, 9/12).

Volunteers Overwhelm Blood Donation Centers Nationwide
In the "biggest outpouring of donors since the Persian Gulf War in 1991," over 3,200 pints of blood were shipped from donation centers across the country to New York City and Washington, D.C., following yesterday's terrorist attacks (Borenstein, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 9/12). Newspaper summaries of the donation drives across the nation appear below in alphabetical order:

• Albany Times Union: After New York City officials made a request for 80,000 units of blood, Red Cross centers in Albany, where waits stretched up to four hours, extended their hours of operation to 10 p.m. (Wood/DeMare, Albany Times Union, 9/12).
• Arizona Daily Star: The Red Cross donation center in Tucson, Ariz., took donations from 400 to 450 people, many of whom waited up to five hours, but had to turn people away yesterday because of the overwhelming donor response, according to spokesperson Kay Donohoe, who asked that those turned away yesterday return over the course of the week (Newell/Swedlund, Arizona Daily Star, 9/12).
• Augusta Chronicle: The wait at Shepeard Community Blood Center in Augusta, Ga., was "standing-room only" within an hour of opening, prompting the center to stay open "indefinitely" to take blood donations (Rickabaugh/Griggs, Augusta Chronicle, 9/12).
• Baltimore Sun: Across Maryland, several thousand people turned out to donate blood yesterday. More than 1,000 people turned out to donate at the Red Cross center in Baltimore, and 1,600 people in Columbia, Md., signed up to give blood (Hopkins/Bykowicz, Baltimore Sun, 9/12).
• Columbus Dispatch: A spokesperson for the Central Ohio Division of the American Red Cross said that donation centers in the regions were "inundated by so many donors" that they were unable to take donations from all those seeking to give blood. The chapter also prepared 320 units of blood for shipment to New York City (Columbus Dispatch, 9/11).
• Contra Costa Times: Almost 1,000 people showed up to donate blood at the Red Cross' main donation center in San Francisco yesterday. At other Bay area donation centers, waits stretched to between three and four hours in a scene "reminiscent" of the response to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (Krishnan, Contra Costa Times, 9/12).
• Detroit Free Press: All nine donation centers run by the American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan were "overflowed with donors" who waited up to three hours to donate blood yesterday (Seidel/James, Detroit Free Press, 9/12).
• Kansas City Star: Nearly 1,000 people in the Kansas City metropolitan area waited for more than two hours to give blood yesterday, prompting donation centers to extend their hours (McGuire, Kansas City Star, 9/11).
• Memphis Commercial Appeal: All 10 collection centers affiliated with Lifeblood, Mid-South Regional Blood Centers, in Memphis, Tenn., will extend their hours of operation through Saturday. The centers, which usually handle 160 to 180 donation daily, received three to four times that amount yesterday (Powers, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 9/12).
• Miami Herald: Blood donation centers across South Florida will extend their hours for the rest of the week after "[h]undreds" of volunteers turned out to donate yesterday (White/McNeal, Miami Herald, 9/12).
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: After "[t]housands" of people donated blood in Wisconsin, Abbott Laboratories of North Chicago agreed to send a refrigerated truck to the Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin to collect 500 units of blood and 500 units of plasma for transport to New York City (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/11).
• Newsday: Blood donation centers on Long Island had to turn away many volunteers, while others waited hours to donate. Harvey Schaffler, director of marketing for Long Island Blood Services, which collects 90% of blood distributed on the island, said that on a normal day, his group can collect 700 to 800 units of blood. Yesterday, however, the number of volunteers would have resulted in 20,000 units, had it been logistically possible to collect it (Durkin/Burson, Newsday, 9/11).
• Orlando Sentinel: The Central Florida Blood Bank sent 200 units of blood to Virginia yesterday afternoon and was expected to send another shipment last night (Owens, Orlando Sentinel, 9/12).
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Greater Alleghenies Region of the American Red Cross shipped 140 units of blood to the Red Cross office in New Jersey, which will distribute the blood to hospitals in the New York City metropolitan area (Mendenhall/Robinson, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 9/12).
• Richmond Times-Dispatch: Officials in Richmond, Va., where blood supplies are already "critically low," canceled all elective surgeries scheduled yesterday and today at hospitals served by Virginia Blood Services. By midafternoon yesterday, more than 150 people had donated blood at the VBS' main center, and "another 100" were waiting between two and three hours to donate (Hostetler/Locantore, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9/12).
• St. Petersburg Times: Yesterday by 6 p.m., Florida Blood Services, which provides blood to 34 hospitals in the Tampa Bay area, had collected nearly 2,000 units of blood compared to the 600 units it collects on a normal day (Nguyen, St. Petersburg Times, 9/12).
• Worcester Telegram & Gazette: The American Red Cross Blood Services donation center in Worcester, Mass., was "swamped" yesterday, with donors waiting up to four hours (Sheehan, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 9/12).

How to Help
National Red Cross spokesperson Peter Macias echoed that sentiment, saying he foresaw a "continuing need for blood for a long time for victims of the disaster." To set up an appointment with the Red Cross or for the donation center nearest you, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/12).