Who believes that Weather impacts Red Cross blood donations?”
Severe winter weather in the Midwest has impacted the steady flow of blood and platelet donations through the American Red Cross. Because donors are not able to safely travel to their donation appointments, area blood drives have been cancelled. Eighteen blood drives in the Midwest Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross were cancelled over three days earlier in December, resulting in more than 900 fewer donations. The Midwest Region serves more than 80 hospitals in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and Kansas. As area residents dig out from the snow and ice, and traveling is deemed to be safe again, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to make a donation appointment to help replenish lifesaving blood supplies. Platelet and type O negative blood donations are especially needed. Type O negative is the universal blood type and can potentially be transfused to anyone. A recent surge in patient usage has increased the need of this blood type. With a shelf life of just five days, pla
THE BLOOD BROKERS; Fourth in a series. Also visit The Blood Brokers: Part 1 – How Blood, The ‘Gift of Life,’ Became a Billion Dollar Business Part 2 – The Loose Way The FDA Regulates Blood Industry Part 3 – Fear of AIDS Spurs Change Part 5 – America: The OPEC of The Global Plasma Industry TO HOME PAGE CLOSE WINDOW TAX EXEMPTION ON BLOOD BUSINESS CHALLENGED As owner of Chapin Medical Co. in Anaheim, Calif., Mark Johnson does considerable business with the American Red Cross. For one thing, his company serves as a national distributor of Red Cross plasma medicines, delivering them to hospitals wherever the Red Cross has contracts. Chapin Medical and a number of other national distributors are paid a fee for these services. But Johnson also buys plasma medicines from the Red Cross outright, marks them up and sells them to hospitals on his own. “If I call up a hospital that has no relationship with Red Cross, then I’ll sell at any price I can get,” Johnson said. “It’s a substantial busines
Severe winter weather in the Midwest has impacted the steady flow of blood and platelet donations through the American Red Cross. Because donors are not able to safely travel to their donation appointments, area blood drives have been cancelled. Eighteen blood drives in the Midwest Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross were cancelled over three days earlier in December, resulting in more than 900 fewer donations. The Midwest Region serves more than 80 hospitals in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and Kansas. As area residents dig out from the snow and ice, and traveling is deemed to be safe again, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to make a donation appointment to help replenish lifesaving blood supplies. Platelet and type O negative blood donations are especially needed. Type O negative is the universal blood type and can potentially be transfused to anyone. A recent surge in patient usage has increased the need of this blood type.
