County Delivers an Urgent Plea for Blood Donations : Health: Supplies are so low that elective surgeries could be canceled, officials warn.

Rows of empty shelves have prompted Ventura County health officials to issue an urgent call for blood donations.

Officials at United Blood Services, the nonprofit agency that delivers blood to medical centers across the county, said Monday that supplies are so low that elective surgeries may be canceled.

“We just don’t have enough blood on the shelves,” said Patricia Hunt, who coordinates blood deliveries from United.

“We’re running to take blood from one hospital to another, and then running back to fill the first hospital from the blood coming out of the lab that day,” she said.

Hunt said her agency needs 100 or more pint-sized donations each day just to stay even with the demand in Ventura County. However, she said, the blood bank is already more than 300 pints below normal reserves.

The blood-supply center fell even further behind on Monday, drawing just 90 donations from its offices and bloodmobile.

“If we can’t generate support from the community and the donors, the next step is to start canceling elective surgeries,” said Hunt, who predicted that such a move is only weeks away if the slump continues.

A post-holiday shortage is not unexpected, officials said. But so far this month there have been even fewer donors than in winters past.

“January is a notoriously high usage month, because people typically put their surgeries off until after the holidays, “ said Carolyn Tyner, associate executive director at United Blood Services.

Because of illness or over-drinking by donors, the number of unfit donors and unusable donations also rises this time of year, she said.

“I had a woman in today who wanted to donate, but she had a small cough,” Tyner said. “I had to send her away.”

The would-be donor, Judy Johnson of Oxnard, said she would return to donate blood as soon as she was over her cold. “I am a rare blood-type, and there is a need,” said Johnson, an A-negative.

The United Blood Services’ call Monday echoed a similar plea by American Red Cross officials, who said last week that supplies were lower than expected across the country. The Red Cross collects and delivers roughly half of the blood supply in the United States, although not in Ventura County.

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Ventura auto mechanic Randy Gaumond heard about the shortage over the weekend. First thing Monday, he was at the United Blood Services office in Ventura with his shirt sleeve rolled up.

“My best friend’s dad needed blood for an operation back when I was 18,” said Gaumond, 38. “I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve probably given away several gallons by now.”

Hospital administrators said Monday the low blood supply was a concern, but it had not yet hurt medical services.

“This year is really bad,” said Daniel Zia, the blood bank supervisor at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

For instance, Zia said, Los Robles on Monday had just four units of O-negative blood on its shelves--less than half the normal reserve.

“In every inventory they are below their par level,” Zia said. “Even though they are able to supply us, if we have a bleeder, they’ll use up all of their reserves.”

FYI

United Blood Services has offices in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Ventura as well as a roving bloodmobile. To donate blood, call 654-8104. Donors face no health risk because every instrument used is disposable, officials said. The donated blood is put through an extensive series of tests to make sure it is safe for the recipient.