For the American Red Cross, winter always means a decline in blood donors. These last two weeks of the year are agonizing for the agency that provides half the nation's blood supply. While we celebrate Christmas, the need for blood holds steady. The Central Plains chapter needs 400 pints a day for 100 hospitals in Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Over Christmas break, high schools and universities, where we always get lots of donors, are closed.
People are busy.
Our bloodmobiles sit idle instead of going out to businesses. On Wednesday, dozens of donors had signed up at Fort Riley. Other times, our staff can't get to western Kansas because of blizzard conditions. Improved medical technology in our community has upped the demand for more blood. Victims of severe burns and patients who need open heart surgery can now be treated locally instead of being transferred out of state.