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Spring will soon be here, and everyone will be anxious to go outdoors and get their summer projects started. Red Cross is trying hard to once again, build up the supply of blood on hand.

The need for blood is high for patients, whether it is a young child or an elderly person who may have been involved in a car accident, one who may be suffering from illness or have surgical complications or cancer. Regardless what might be the situation, the blood supply on hand for the state of Minnesota is low. We need to help eliminate the problem before someone that we know, needs an emergency transfusion.

Now is the time to make the phone call or go online at redcrossblood.org or 1-800-REDCROSS. Donors are needed for the Wednesday, May 22, 2013, Noon to 6 p.m. Bloodmobile, being held at the new Emily City Hall, formally the Emily Charter School located at 39811 Highway #6 in Emily.

Donors need to be 17 years or older, no upper age limits, at least 110 pounds and in general good health. Sixteen year olds can now donate when a parent or guardian signs a Red Cross permission slip for them. Four double red cell machines will be available for donors with blood types O+, O-, A- and B-. These blood types are the ones most in demand but all blood types are always needed.

Red Cross is using the appointment program for donors. They are allowed 15 minutes after the scheduled time, to arrive at the blood drive before they lose their appointment. Walk-ins will be given the next available appointment. In the case that a scheduled donor, with an appointment, does not arrive during their allowed 15-minute time frame, the walk-in donor will be able to fill that appointment. By this procedure, Red Cross feels that donors will have less of a wait.

Fifty-six days between Regular Single Unit blood donations and 112 days between Double Red Cell Donors are required, so anyone who donated at Emily's bloodmobile in January is also eligible again to be a donor in May. Donors who occasionally have low iron counts are reminded to improve their iron levels by either taking over the counter iron supplements and/or adding iron rich foods to their diets. Meat, fish and poultry are the best absorbed iron rich foods. Iron fortified cereals, beans, raisins, baked potatoes, and breads and pasta made with iron-enriched flour are also encouraged to be eaten. Foods high in Vitamin C will help absorb the iron; while tea, coffee, bran, and antacids block the absorption of iron.

The Emily area now hosts three bloodmobiles each year with this being the 61st held over the past 25 years. It is open to anyone; all blood types are needed. Donors are invited to help recruit new donors. We continue to dedicate our blood drives to all of our area friends and relatives who have required blood transfusions. We want to make sure that blood is available for them, whenever it is required. The Bloodmobile is a community project sponsored by the Emily, Outing, Fifty Lakes Lakers Lions.

To sign up to be a donor at Emily's blood drive please call coordinator Nancy Moritz, RN at 763-3097 or Kathy Harvet at 763-2536 for an appointment.[[In-content Ad]]

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