Red Cross Faces Blood Shortfall After Hurricane Sandy

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/01/1121501/red-cross-faces-blood-shortfall-in-hurricane-sandys-wake/

By Sy Mukherjee on Nov 1, 2012

The Suffolk News-Herald reports that Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of over 300 blood drives on the east coast, leaving the American Red Cross short of about 9,000 units of essential blood and platelets. Red Cross is now asking for blood donors all throughout the region to make up for the gap and ensure that those most affected by the storm have access to the medical resources they need. In a statement, American Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Blood Services Region CEO Page Gambill said, “As our community recovers from the storm, we need to help the blood supply recover, too. It was the blood on the shelves that helped save patients’ lives when the hurricane hit, and it will be the blood on the shelves when the next disaster — large or small — strikes.”