RED CROSS SAYS BLOOD SUPPLIES LOW

Would-be donors are staying away from blood drives in Southeast Missouri, and Red Cross officials are worried it will result in a blood shortage.

Since Thanksgiving, blood donations have dropped by 10 percent.

"We need to start really having some strong collections in the area," said Dave Palmer with the Cape Girardeau County chapter of the American Red Cross.

Recent blood drives have not met their goals, Palmer said, adding that flu outbreaks have kept some donors at home.

"This year we have had several outbreaks of the flu, and I think that's had something to do with it," he said.

Other areas of the state have not experiences the same type of shortage, he said, adding that donations in the St. Louis area and Columbia have not fallen off.

Palmer said an undue fear of contracting AIDS may also play a part in the region's lower-than-average blood donation rate.

"There has been a lot of awareness about AIDS lately, but some people don't realize that there is no danger of contracting AIDS by giving blood," he said. "It's 100 percent safe."

Palmer said the holidays are typically a busy time for most people, making it easier to forget about giving blood.

Peggy Kitchen, supervisor of the Southeast Missouri-Southern Illinois blood depot, which serves 24 area hospitals, said the low donations will eventually effect hospital blood supplies.

"If local drives continue to not meet their goals, the hospitals will feel the effects," Kitchen said.

The hospitals served by the blood depot include the two Cape Girardeau hospitals, and those in Sikeston, Perryville, Poplar Bluff, and in the Southern Illinois towns of Carbondale and Marion.

Successful December blood drives are crucial to keeping hospitals supplies adequate in the coming months, she said.

"Historically, we do experience this type of shortage at this time of year," she said. "Our concern is January and February. If we get behind in December, we're playing catch up in January and February."

Kitchen said a higher accident rate in those months typically due to bad weather and more elective surgeries, make January and February the two highest blood usage months. But she added that type O negative blood is currently in short supply.

According to Dana Garner, director of donor recruitment for the Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois Red Cross region, about 12 percent of registered blood donors are shying away from giving blood.

By getting the word out now that blood donations are low, Garner said, "We're hoping we can avert a severe blood shortage."

Upcoming area blood drives are today at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Scott City from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Dec. 30 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Cape Girardeau from 2-4 p.m.

Palmer said more drives are scheduled for January, which is National Blood Donor Month.