SUPPLIES OF BLOOD `AMPLE'; OFFERS FOR DRIVES BEING TURNED DOWN

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Blood supplies locally have shot up since the start of the Persian Gulf War, and an official with the American Red Cross said the war effort has kept local hospitals supplied to the maximum level during the normally high-demand winter months.

"We probably haven't been in this good of shape during this time of year for a long, long while," said Dave Palmer with the local Red Cross chapter. "Collections have been very good all over."

Now, the organization is concerned about keeping the supply steady.

"It's a hard situation," he said. "We don't want to tell people not to give, but we are concerned that if we collect too much, what we have will expire. That's what we want to avoid."

It takes only 42 days for blood to expire once it's been collected, he said.

Palmer said inquiries from local organizations wanting to sponsor blood drives in March or April have been turned down by the Red Cross. Instead, the organization has urged them to schedule a drive for May, June or July.

"Basically what we're telling them is that we want the groups who are already having drives to meet their goals, but we're not scheduling any additional drives," he said.

Since the start of the war, a large turnout of donors has led to organizations being able to collect far and above the number of pints specified in their goal.

To counter that, Palmer said the demand for blood in the Middle East has been virtually non-existent.

So far, the Department of Defense has not called on the Red Cross for blood.

On the local level, hospitals are being supplied at a maximum level, which is unusual for the normally high-demand winter months, said Palmer.

He added that a relatively mild winter and fewer-than-average motor vehicle accidents have also contributed to the steady supply of blood at hospitals.

But Palmer said, he doesn't want people to stop giving.

"It's still very important that groups that hold drives continue to meet their goals," he said. "We don't want to tell people not to give, but we want them to remember us in the coming months, also. Overall, we're very happy with the support people have given us."

Palmer said the Red Cross holds 25 to 30 drives a month, and they don't plan to schedule more unless the supply drops considerably. Since mid-January, he said, many first-time donors and people who haven't given blood for several years have decided to start giving again.

"What we're most concerned about is a steady collection," he said. "You never know when things can change. A couple of days of low collections and heavy usage, and the supply can change dramatically."

The next Red Cross blood drive will be Wednesday from 2-7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Cape Girardeau.