Red Cross needs blood, especially O negative
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on March 17, 2006 1:45 PM
The Wayne County chapter of the American Red Cross is appealing to people with type O negative blood to donate.
Supplies of type O blood are at critically low levels across the nation, Red Cross officials say.
Wayne Blood Services Director Samia Garner said there is less than one day's supply of O negative in the county.
"This is a very dangerous place to be," she said. "We need to get the word out to our donors throughout the county appealing to them to take the time to donate blood as soon as possible."
According to the Red Cross, almost half of all the blood ordered each day by hospitals is type O. Type O negative blood can be safely transfused to patients of all blood types, making it valuable in emergencies. Officials with the Carolinas Blood Services Region said that when a patient needs an immediate transfusion and there is not time to match blood types, the patient receives type O blood until the emergency is over and the patient's condition stablized.
Upcoming blood drives will be held:
*Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Berkeley Mall.
*Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Neuse Correctional Facility and from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at Southeastern Medical Oncology Center.
*Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Charles B. Aycock High School.
*March 23 from 2 to 6:30 p.m. at the Red Cross chapter house, 600 N. George St., sponsored by Curtis Media Group.
*March 27 from 2 to 7:30 p.m. at Meadow Lane Elementary School.
*March 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Southern Wayne High School.
*March 29 from 2 to 6:30 p.m. at Brogden United Methodist Church.
*March 30 from 2:30 to 6 p.m. at Spring Creek Elementary School.
For more information, call the Red Cross office in Goldsboro at 735-7201.