universal blood type

found out that her blood type -- Type O -- is one of the most valuable to blood centers.

Type O can be used by anyone, so Medina is just the kind of donor the Central California Blood Center is trying to reach.

"That's why I come in," Medina, 34, said during a blood drive Saturday at the center at 3445 N. First St. in Fresno. "Because it is the most common blood type and the most needed -- and it's the universal blood type."

This year, the blood center is boosting its efforts to collect more Type O blood by trying to attract more Hispanic donors, who are more likely to have that type of blood, according to a recent study.

The effort kicked off with the third annual Raider Nation Blood Drive on Saturday at three locations: the Fresno blood center, Sanger High School and the Visalia Convention Center.

The blood center advertised the drive on local radio stations that reach large Hispanic audiences, including Clear Channel radio stations, Mega 97.9 and Univision Radio. Vida en el Valle and Univision television also ran Spanish-language advertisements for the event.

And the center made sure that bilingual nurses were on hand to help people register and donate blood.

Traditionally, older Caucasians have been most likely to donate blood, according to a study by the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. But faced with population shifts and an aging donor pool, blood banks are struggling to meet the nation's demand for different blood types.

The study surveyed blood centers in Latin American countries and found a high percentage of donors with O positive blood, the most common variety of Type O blood. In the United States, 38% of donors have O positive. In Venezuela, the study found, the figure was 54%. It was 62% in Guatemala and 71% in Mexico.

"Type O is the universal donor blood -- it can go to anyone," said Dean Eller, president and CEO of the Central California Blood Center. "In an emergency, you wouldn't even have to know the patient's blood type."

The center needs to collect nearly 200 pints of blood per day to meet the needs of the 31 hospitals in Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Kings and Mariposa counties, Eller said.

"We're always lacking in every blood type," Eller said. "But we're especially lacking in Type O."

Hispanics, who represent about 45% of the San Joaquin Valley's population, make up about 20% of the Valley's blood donors, Eller said.

The region is doing better than the rest of the nation.

United Blood Services of Fort Smith, Ark., has announced an appeal for O negative blood type due to a high usage of O negative recently.

Tammy Crites, donor recruitment supervisor for United Blood Services, urges residents in the Fort Smith area as well as the outlying communities to come to United Blood Services at 5300 S. U St. any time from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

"O negative blood type is considered the universal blood type. This type may be given to any one of any blood type; however, O negative blood types may only receive that type. Because of the multiple needs of O negative blood and because only approximately six percent of the population has this type, we are in constant need of it," Crites stated.

"It usually takes about 48 hours to process the blood donations prior to having them available for our hospitals," Crites said. "It is so important for people to take the time to give a unit of blood to help those who are in need. A person never knows when he or she may need blood, and statistically, one out of three people will be affected by the need for blood during their lifetime. Every day, people are in the hospitals needing transfusions.....each patient using blood may only need one, while another may need 30, maybe more. Some people do not realize how many transfusions patients may need to recover from a severe car accident, a blood disorder, a premature baby, or a hemorrhaging mother."

Potential donors can schedule a convenient appointment and lock in a time slot at the blood drive by logging on to www.UnitedBloodServices.org or contacting them at 1-800-934-9415. Walk-ins are always accepted.

People Nationwide Encouraged to Make a Blood Donation to Honor Blood
Collectors and Support Their Communities

LAKE ZURICH, Ill. and BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- During
the week of September 16-22, 2007, blood collection centers across the
United States will celebrate the 3rd Annual Blood Collectors Week sponsored
by AABB and Fenwal, Inc. This celebratory week recognizes the important
service blood collectors provide to communities nationwide in ensuring
blood is available to meet critical patient needs.
"Blood collection professionals play an important role by educating
donors and providing a safe and comfortable donation experience," said
Karen Shoos Lipton, chief executive officer of AABB. "The care and concern
that these dedicated individuals display helps to ensure that an adequate
blood supply is readily available whenever and wherever our communities
need it."
According to AABB, about 29 million units of blood components are
transfused annually in the United States. Blood transfusions are a critical
component in the treatment of people with serious medical conditions,
including people undergoing cancer treatments, major surgeries, and
accident and trauma victims. People typically receive transfusions of red
blood cells, platelets and/or plasma and volunteer blood donors are the
primary source of blood used for transfusions.
During this week-long celebration, people are encouraged to give back
to their community and demonstrate their support for this honorable
profession by making a blood donation.
"Blood collection professionals provide a critical service to the
communities and patients they support, helping to improve and save lives on
a daily basis," said Ron Labrum, Fenwal president and chief executive
officer. "Blood Collectors Week is a tribute to this important profession
and Fenwal is honored to join AABB and blood centers nationwide in
recognizing these individuals."
Blood collection professionals are responsible for educating people on
their blood donation options, and facilitating a safe, comfortable donation
experience. People may choose to give blood via a manual or automated
method. During a manual donation, a pint of blood is collected and then
separated into its therapeutic transfusion components, typically red cells,
platelets and/or plasma. When donating via an automated system, donors give
the therapeutic blood components most needed based on their blood type and
donor qualifications, allowing them to give more of that component(s).
Blood collectors serve an important role in helping individuals
identify the best donation method and ensuring the right components of the
right blood type are on hospital shelves when needed. Type O negative is
the universal blood type for red cells, and type AB is the universal blood
type for platelet and plasma donors.
To schedule a blood donation, or to learn more about Blood Collectors
Week, individuals are encouraged to contact their local blood center by
o donate blood, one must be healthy, and
meet age, weight and other donor requirements.
About AABB
Established in 1947, AABB (formerly known as the American Association
of Blood Banks) is an international, not-for-profit association dedicated
to the advancement of science and the practice of transfusion medicine and
related biological therapies. The association is committed to improving
health by developing and delivering standards, accreditation and
educational programs and services to optimize patient and donor care and
safety. AABB membership consists of approximately 1,800 institutions and
8,000 individuals, including physicians, scientists, administrators,
medical technologists, nurses, researchers, blood donor recruiters and Blood banks look at the nation's Hispanic population boom and see an unexpected potential to save thousands of lives: the possibility of more so-called universal blood donors.

It turns out that Latinos are more likely than the average American to have Type O blood, the type blood banks value most because it can be used by so many patients.

That potential is mostly untapped. Now blood banks are beginning major efforts to boost Latino donations, amid concern that the blood supply could face a serious imbalance if population shifts bring more demand for Type O transfusions without a parallel increase in giving.

"It's a great opportunity we have," says Dr. Alexander Indrikovs, blood bank director at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, who outlined the issue at a recent meeting of leading blood bankers.

On the other hand, "It's obvious that if we continue to target only the traditional blood donation group, which has been mostly Caucasian, the imbalance is going to grow larger," he adds.

Faced with a tight supply and an aging donor pool, banks have long struggled to increase the nation's overall blood stocks. While 60 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, just 5 percent does.

Yet more than 34,000 pints of blood are needed every day, and demand is rising annually. Spot shortages that force hospitals to postpone elective surgeries occur in various cities every year, usually around holidays.

There are four major blood groups: A, B, AB and O. A and B are antigens, essentially markers on blood cells that the immune system can target. Blood labeled "O" lacks those antigens. Blood also is designated as either Rh-positive or Rh-negative.

And while blood banks want donors of all types, Type O-positive blood is especially valuable. It is the most common blood type, which means it's most in demand -- and if you have Type O blood, only a Type O transfusion will work for you. If you're accidentally given another type, your immune system would spot the antigens and attack.

However, people with other blood types can receive Type O negative blood in an emergency. That's why Type O negatives are called universal donors.

public relations personnel. Members are located in all 50 states and 80
countries.
About Fenwal
Fenwal is a leading, global healthcare company focused on the
development, manufacture and marketing of products and services for the
transfusion medicine industry. The company provides a comprehensive
portfolio of products and services for manual and automated blood
collection, processing and storage. For more information, please