Published: July 23, 2008 01:30 am      

COMMUNITY: Residents donate to Red Cross blood drive at Dale Association

People from all over the area lined up Tuesday at the Dale Association on Ontario Street in Lockport to give the American Red Cross a hand. Well, an arm with a needle in it, actually.

The American Red Cross held a “Community that Cares” blood drive to help replenish some of its diminishing blood supply. Marybeth Hall, American Red Cross blood services account manager for the New York and Pennsylvania region, said the response was great. The number of donors was high in the morning and picked up later in the evening.

“It’s been going very well,” she said in the afternoon. “We had a line earlier, but it’s slowing down now. It’ll pick up later after people come home from work.”

The drive brought in 127 units of blood, which surpassed the organization’s goal. All donors received a free T-shirt, a hot dog, a coupon for Dunkin’ Donuts and the opportunity to win tickets to the sold-out home opener for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills begin their home schedule on Sept. 7 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Hall said summer is usually tough on the organization’s blood supply with the schools out. But on Tuesday Hall said the drive was a successful one.

“It was a great, great day,” she said. “I think everyone enjoyed the day.”

According to a news release from the American Red Cross, the organization is low on much-needed blood types. This includes type O-Negative, the universal donor. The region has a three-day supply of all blood types on its shelves, but the crucial blood types such as O-Negative, A-Negative and B-Negative are at supply levels of less than a day. The desired supply level is five to seven days.

The New York and Pennsylvania region of the Red Cross serves 63 counties, about 120 hospitals and a population of about 8.6 million people. It collects more than 340,000 units of blood every year and distributes 2,000 units of blood to hospitals daily.

The type of blood a person has is inherited and is classified by into four groups: A, B, AB and O. A blood type is also typed as either Rh-positive or Rh-negative, referring to the presence or absence of the Rh antigen, which is named for the fact that it was first discovered in the Rhesus monkey. Most people (about 85 percent) are Rh-positive, according to the Red Cross.

The presence or absence of an Rh factor on the red blood cells is what makes a blood type positive or negative. Blood groups (A, B and O) and Rh types are descriptions of certain antigens found on red cells. People with type A blood have A antigens on their red blood cells and lack B antigens; people with type B blood have B antigens and lack A antigens; people with type AB blood have both antigens and people with type O blood lack both A and B antigens.

Any person in general good health who is at least 17 years old and weighs at least 110 pounds may be eligible to give blood. Whole blood donors can safely donate blood every 56 days. Double red cell donors can safely donate blood every 112 days. The next drive is from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday at the Summit, 6929 Williams Road, Wheatfield.

Contact reporter Joe Olenick

at 439-9222, ext. 6241.