Evening star., 1948-01-05
A Blood Bank for Washington
Red Cross Project Opening Today Designed to Meet
AProblem Never Satisfactorily Solved
By Thomas G. Buchanan

:. BNchGn0n
The Red Cross project has a dual signiti-
canoe:
It viii greatly reduce the present high price
Of blood TRANSMISSION by eliminating the cost
Of the blood itself. The Red Cross program is
free.
1t affords the opportunity to coordinate the
blood recruitment efforts Of the community
build up larger blood reserves, and eliminate
emergency appeals for individuals
Medical bills can skyrocket when repeated
transfusions are necessary. The patients
family-or, II he is INDECENT, the hospital
must bear the burden. A saving Of SIS pint
In blood transfusions can make lot Of
difference.
Patients will continue to pay, however. for
the cost Of cross matching the donors blood
with their own, and for the work involved in
the actual administration Of the blood.
Even though hospitals receive blood from
the Red Cross already typed, good medical
practices require them to recheck it, and to
make sure it will mix with the patients blood
without toxic reactions that may be serious,
even fatal
Samples of blood from the donor and the
patient must be examined by observing them
through microscope on slides and again
in test tubes, to make sure they match Finally,
q compatibility test is given, In which the
two are actually mixed and the reaction is
noted The entire process takes nearly an
hour.
In the administration of the blood to the
patient, tray of sterile equipment Is used.
The tube through which the blood t1ows is
used only once. For this equipment, and
the time Of the inferno or nurse technician
who performs the TRANSMISSION, the patient
also must pay.
The Cost Of Blood.
District hospitals vary widely in their serv-
ice charges for blood TRANSMISSION. Garfield.
for example, charges $40 . pint, Of which $35
is refunded II the blood is replaced twofold.
Emergency charges $25 for the blood also sub
ject to refund and $l2 for laboratory service
and administration
For the time being, the Red Cross will take
no steps to reduce the disparity in service
charges. When the national program is well
under way, however, some action along this
line may be anticipated.
Medical men take it for granted that the
Red Cross project will replace existing blood
banks, because no one will pay for blood when
it can be obtained from the Red Cross with
out charge. Most hospital onicials welcome
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own blood donors which has forced them to
use valuable hospital space and personnel.
Whether the Red Cross blood bank will
fully meet the community's blood needs de-
pends on the support 1t gets from the public.
It will take the burden Of contributing blood
from the professional donors and the relatives
and friends of those who need transfusions,
and place that responsibility on the entire
community.
During the war, the District contributed as
high as 1851 900 pints of blood . year to the
armed forces. The same agency which directed
the wartime program now asks Washington
for 10000 pints year to serve its own needs.
There is no chemical substitute for blood.
The blood bank Of a community flows in the
lifestream Of its people. It's np I'd you.;sse