Blood Center Asks For Donations

You can blame bad weather for a critical blood shortage in Kansas City.

And the Community Blood Center is calling for donors of Type O and Type B blood.

KMBC's Bev Chapman reported that some of the shelves at the blood center are completely empty, which can mean the difference between life and death.
Dr. Charles Peters treats seriously ill children. He said if blood donations are low, there are consequences for his patients.

"We are absolutely dependent (on blood donors)," Peters said. "Once (patients are) in the middle of the process, we can't put things on hold. They need what they need when they need it, which is usually right now."

The ice storm cost the metro area about 1,000 units of blood at a critical time.

"The bad weather that we experienced in December really hurt us," CBC's David Graham said. "The weather caused cancellations, power outages and people not able to get out they way they normally could. That's really the time when we're building up our inventory to get us through those holiday weeks."

Some donors have already started lining up to give.

"I heard on the news and radio that they needed more donations," donor Jennifer Peters said.

"I heard them say O, and I said, 'Boy, they must be hurting," donor George Weaver said.

Peters said now is a good time to make a resolution to donate blood regularly.

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