BLOOD SUPPLY IMPROVES, BUT MORE NEEDED

Peggy Kitchen was breathing a little easier Wednesday looking at some well stocked shelves at the Red Cross Blood Bank.

Kitchen, supervisor of distribution for Red Cross Blood Services, said a successful blood drive over the weekend has eased the critical shortage the center was facing most of January.

However, she warned, that could change as quickly as the split second it would take for a major accident to occur. Or supplies could dwindle again if a storm hit that would keep people from going to blood drives.

"It's an ongoing fight to keep the shelves filled," Kitchen said.

But for now, shelves are full at the Red Cross Blood Bank, as well as at St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital thanks in large part to the 1,114 units of blood collected at five sites last weekend at the KFVS12 Heartland Blood Drive.

Red Cross' next blood drive will be 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Main Street Fitness Center in Jackson. Donors can give blood every 56 days.

"If someone has an accident and makes it to the hospital alive, you want to have all the tools and products to keep that person alive," Kitchen said.