Evening star., 1947-12-17
New Peacetir|le
Blood Donor
Center 10 Open
Red Cross to Initiate
Civilian Program
Here January 5
By Thomos 6. Buchanan


The American Red Cross will in
troduce its new peacetime civilian
blood program January with the
opening of blood donor center in
the Nations Capital.
Forty donors already have been
lined up to give their contribution
on opening day at. the District Red
Cross headquarteS at 1870 E street
NV, where part of the ground floor
has been converted from Office space
to house the blood clinic.
BY February Is, the Red Cross
expects to have similar centers in
operation in Rochester, N. Y;
Omaha, Nebr.; Louisville, KY; At
lanta, Ca, and Stockton, Calf.
Rochester, which was to have been
the first chapter to draw a pint of
blood under the new program, is
now scheduled to begin operations
January IL.
Announcement of the Washing
ton blood center's decision to give
the country its first demonstration
Of one Of the relief agencys greatest
peacetime understandings was made
today by John Clifford Folger, chair
man of the District Red Cross.
Years Needs Estimated.
Mr.. Folger said the blood needs of
patients in the District Metropolitan
Area had been estimated at 10000
pints year.
Our goal will be to enroll suf-
flcient number of voluntary blood
donors" he declared, ito meet this
need by the end of the first year of
operation"
To carry out such a program, he
pointed out, would require about 500
donors week. The Districts war;
time peak was weekly quota of
$500 pints, collected at the Red
Cross blood center in the Acacia
Building.
Since the new blood center does
not expect to average more than
200 donors week for the first few
months, the Red Cross official ad-
vised each hospital to plan to main
tain its present system of obtaining
blood for transfusions.
Later to Supply Hospitals.
AS the program expands, he said,
the Red Cross will begin to furnish
the entire supply of Washington
area hospitals, one at a time. 1t
will continue to supply blood to
Bethesda Naval Hospital and Mount
Alto Hospital, as it has done since
the termination of the wartime pro-
gram for the armed forces.
In keeping with the national pol
icy of the Red Cross donors will not
be paid for the blood they volun-
teer, nor will any charge be made
to patients who receive it. The
Red Cross will not undertake to
regulate the fee charged by doctors
or hospitals for administering the
blood, however.
Cooperation of the District Med
ical Society and other health agen-
cies already has been pledged the
Red Cross in its new blood center
The Community Blood Plasma Bank,
now sponsored by the medical So
ciety and located in George Wash
ington Hospital, will remain in
operation, at least temporarily. It's
policy has been to charge $25 a
pint unless the patients friends
or relatives repay the bank with
double the amount Of blood drawn.
Staff Includes Doctor.
The new Red Cross blood center
will be stated by a doctor and four
or five graduate nurses, all of whom
have had at least years experience
in similar work during the war.
The patient will be made comfort
able by two staff assistants in a
waiting room as he prepares to give
his blood. A nurse will take his
medical history to see If his blood
is acceptable. The blood will be
drawn under medical supervision,
with facilities for handling eight
donors simultaneously. After his
donation, the volunteer will be taken
to a Red Cross canteen where three
canteen workers will give him re-
freshments and a place to rest.
The Red Cross will use four motor
corps volunteers to pick up donors,
usually in groups Of at least four,
from their offices or homes and to
take them back after they have
made their contribution.
Announcement of the medical di-
rector and further details of the
blood donor center's operation will
be made by the Red Cross within a
week.