LifeShare Helping Nation's Blood Shortage

By Kelly Moore

Staff Writer

Central Louisiana, along with the nation, is facing critical blood shortages.

The mission of LifeShare Blood Centers is to provide quality blood, blood components and related services for use by patients on an efficient cost-effective basis.

LifeShare is a member of America's Blood Centers, the international network of community-based blood banks that collects approximately half of the U.S. blood supply and about 25 percent of the Canadian blood supply.

The Leesville Rehabilitation Hospital is helping the cause by having the LifeShare's Blood bus come to them where not only employees donated, anyone who meets the criterion can come and donate.

"CENLA is at a fragile state. We take care of Cenla first, then we recourse share with other LifeShare's throughout the nation," said Sandy Edwards a recruiter with LifeShare.

In order to be eligible to donate a person must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health, know the names of any medications you may be taking and have eaten a good meal before giving blood.

It takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes for people to donate blood and they can donate every 56 days. However, blood only has a shelf life of 42 days, after which it is destroyed.

There are eight types of blood, and each is needed every day. For example, between one and five units of blood is needed for coronary artery bypass surgery. A liver transplant surgery can use as many as 100 units of blood.

With the demands of seemingly routine surgeries and the extreme cases of organ transplant. it is imperative that the hospitals have a high volume of blood to anticipate the needs of their patients, Edwards said.

Leesville Rehabilitation Hospital administrator Joe Buckley was just one of the many individuals who showed up to donate blood.

"I have been regularly donating blood since I was a teenager. It doesn't take long, it is easy, safe and it works," said Buckley.

This article posted March 3, 2004.

LifeShare Helping Nation's Blood Shortage

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