BLOOD CRISIS; SOUTHLAND SUPPLIES NEARLY DRY.Byline: Anne Burke Daily News Staff Writer The Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area blood shortage is getting more acute by the day, forcing one hospital to delay transfusions Tuesday, another to nearly cancel two surgeries and others to offer freebies as inducements to donors. The American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. , the largest supplier of blood to Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, hospitals, reported Tuesday that supplies had shrunk to less than 1 percent of desired inventory. The most crucial need is for Type O-negative blood, acceptable by people of any blood type. Nearly half the population is Type O, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Red Cross. ``We're in dire straits Noun 1. dire straits - a state of extreme distress desperate straits straits, strait, pass - a bad or difficult situation or state of affairs here in California. People have got to respond to this,'' said Red Cross spokeswoman Gina Altizer. The Red Cross Southern California Region is now in its second week of an urgent appeal for blood donations. A nationwide appeal went out Tuesday. Short supplies are blamed on Los Angeles County's nasty flu season, which started early and could drag on through March. Cold and flu sufferers are ineligible to donate blood. Also putting the pinch on local supplies are foul weather in the Northeast and Midwest and back-to-back, four-day Christmas and New Year's holidays, which kept many people away from blood donation centers. At one San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. hospital, physicians worried that a single freeway pileup could wipe out their entire inventory. ``We're down to one unit of O-negative and (the Red Cross) can't find any more for us,'' said Dr. Warren Allen, laboratory medical director at Northridge Hospital Medical Center's Sherman Way campus. Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center is a hospital in Burbank, California, USA. The hospital has 455 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. It's adress is: 501 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91505. in Burbank monitored blood supplies Tuesday on an hour-by-hour basis. Although the hospital usually sets aside blood for patients scheduled for surgery over a couple of days' time, that practice was temporarily discontinued Tuesday, said Lucy Gasich, a quality assurance officer for the medical center. ``We haven't canceled any surgeries yet, but that would be the next step,'' Gasich said. UCLA Medical Center UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast according to US News & World Report. nearly canceled two surgeries Tuesday morning - one of them a liver transplant liver transplant Hepatic transplant Transplant surgery A procedure that replaces a cancer conquered, metabolically defeated, or substance subjugated liver with one no longer required by its owner, many of whom donate same after an MVA Diseases requiring transplant that required large amounts of blood - after the blood inventory fell to dangerously low levels. The surgeries proceeded after hospital officials obtained sufficient blood from their own supplies. Surgeons at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX encouraged patients to obtain their own pre-surgery supplies from relatives and friends. Those who were well enough were urged to donate their own blood, said Ann Marie Lebsack of UCLA's transfusion service. UCLA obtains half its blood supply from the Red Cross and the rest from its own donor center. Like all hospitals, UCLA put out an urgent appeal for donations Tuesday. For those not induced by humanitarianism hu·man·i·tar·i·an·ism n. 1. Concern for human welfare, especially as manifested through philanthropy. 2. The belief that the sole moral obligation of humankind is the improvement of human welfare. 3. alone, the university is offering a free ``incentive'' to donors - hot and cold food-and-beverage containers, said Kevin Clark, spokesman for UCLA's blood donor services. That's on top of the free cookies and juice, of course. The San Diego Blood Bank, which supplies blood to 18 hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties, was down to 25 pints Tuesday, about one-third of its desired supply. The blood bank is offering free Super Bowl tickets to the lucky donor who wins a Monday drawing. San Diego will host the pro football championship Jan. 25. Though not offering any gifts, the Red Cross has extended hours at donation centers and undertaken an extensive telephone campaign targeting Type O donors. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a world-renowned hospital located in Los Angeles, California. History Cedars-Sinai is the result of a merger in 1961 between two major Los Angeles hospitals, Cedars of Lebanon and Mount Sinai Home for the Incurables, with Steve Broidy as , where the shortage has been acute for about 10 days, was postponing routine transfusions for one or two days, until donors could be located. With supplies at less than 25 percent of normal, Cedars-Sinai physicians and officials are meeting this week to hash out contingency plans, should supplies diminish even more, said Louise Smith, the hospital's transfusion medicine transfusion medicine Blood banking A subspecialty of clinical pathology or internal medicine which is involved in Pt management through administration of blood cells and blood products including fresh-frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate; TM specialists are versant in director. The medical center also has its own blood donation center. Ventura County's blood supplier, United Blood Services, was down to about half its desired supply. Donors must be age 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and not at risk for HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome . What you can do The American Red Cross warns that there is a severe blood supply shortage. Here is how you can help. If you have Type 0-negative blood, which can be used for people of any blood type, then your blood is in the greatest demand. But all blood types are needed. If you are facing surgery in the near future, doctors recommend that you donate your own blood in advance, or encourage relatives and friends to donate. Donors must be age 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and not at risk for HIV/AIDS. For a list of local Red Cross donor centers, see Page 12. For more information, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 boxes PHOTO (color) Juan Landaverde checks the progress of blood being donated by Jeff Garett in Van Nuys. John McCoy/Daily News Box: (1) What you can do (see text) (2) Blood banks |
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