FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Short Term Needs Met, Blood Center Not Accepting Weekend Donations

SEPTEMBER 13, 2001, SEATTLE — Puget Sound Blood Center wishes to thank the thousands of spirited Western Washington donors who gave blood in the two days following terrorist attacks on the United States. As a result of their response to the country’s call for donations, the Blood Center’s supply is now at full capacity. Consequently, the Blood Center will not be accepting whole blood donations Saturday or Sunday at any of its nine permanent sites.

Instead, the donation sites will be open Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. to register and schedule blood donations in October and November when the supply will need to be replenished.

Community mobile blood drives will take place as scheduled Saturday and all donation sites will resume normal hours and blood collections next week. Locations and hours are listed on the Blood Center’s web site, www.psbc.org.

“The emergency need for blood has been met on the East Coast and our storage capacity here is being tested, “ said Dr. Richard Counts, Blood Center president. “However, we encourage people to register now to donate over the next two to eight weeks. Blood can be stored for only six weeks, and with anticipated surgeries stemming from the attacks coupled with normal local blood use, the need will once again be great in the next two months.”

In addition to Saturday’s registrations, prospective donors can also request appointments at www.psbc.org; staff will contact donors to confirm or reschedule donation times and dates. Donors may also call 1-800-398-7888 to make appointments, but due to the extraordinary number of calls in recent days, phone lines may be overloaded and donors are advised to call next week.

The local blood inventory status reflects the national picture in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The U.S. blood supply is currently filled to capacity and the affected New York and Washington, D.C. areas have already tallied required amounts. New York Blood Center collected 5,000 units in the 24 hours following the attacks and also received shipments from nearby blood centers.

By comparison, Puget Sound Blood Center registered a record 2,300 blood donors on Tuesday and nearly 2,000 more yesterday.

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