Archive: Around Town

Last Saturday (9/10) the Red Cross held a blood drive outside Lansing United Methodist Church at 32 Brickyard Road.  Several Red Cross vans and a truck were sent from Binghamton to collect blood.  Donations are lower during the summer because the Red Cross can't go to to the high schools and people are on vacations.  That makes drives like this one all the more important, especially with the extra need from Hurricane Katrina victims.

"We're seing a higher response because of Katrina, but we're also on appeal because we have a blood shortage," Rebecca Barrous, one of the Red Cross representatives, told us."We've had more blood drives and a higher response because of Katrina."

"Normally the blood is kept in our own region," added Jan Robertson, also of the Red Cross, "unless someone requests it from us.  If we have enough of what they need we ship it to them."  Last week the Binghamton-based unit sent in excess of 200 pints for Katrina relief.

The church arranged to have the blood drive, setting up 32 appointments throughout the morning and early afternoon.  There were also more than 20 walk-ins who came to donate blood. 

In addition to nromal blood donations some people made Double Red Cell donations.  This is a high-technology process that allows doners to give two units of red blood cells in one visit.  In traditional donations whole blood is given, which consists of red cells, plasma and platelets.  With Double Red Cell donations two units are given, but they only contain red blood cells, the component of blood that is most needed.  To qualify for this kind of donation males must be at least 150 pounds and 5' 1" and femalse must be at least 175 pounds and 5' 5" tall.

The goal for the day was 41 pints.  Lansing residents donated 45 pints, 109.76% of the goal.  The Red Cross staff took a quick break before returning to Binghamton, pleased with the successful blood drive.

----
v1i9