Red Cross asks public for blood donations

5/29/2004

Low on blood and nervous about the holiday weekend - typically a busy time in area emergency rooms - Red Cross officials are asking the public to donate blood.

The Western Lake Erie Region of the American Red Cross, which serves 24 hospitals in northwest Ohio and Monroe County, Mich., has less than a two-day supply of blood types O and B. The Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the "trauma season" in hospitals, a time when increased traffic usually leads to more accidents and more demand for blood.

The Red Cross main donor site at 3510 Executive Parkway in West Toledo has expanded hours this weekend. It's open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday. Everyone who donates this weekend will receive a Red Cross ball cap.