Red Cross blood supply 'critically low'

Blood supply levels at the American Red Cross have dropped from a typical three-day supply to less than a one-day supply, said Don Creek, the donor recruitment representative for the American Red Cross in Bloomington.\nLevels are "critically low," with Type O, A- and B- experiencing the greatest shortage, according to a press release. As of Friday, the River Valley Region, which includes Bloomington, only had 0.83 days worth of blood, according to its Web site.\n"We're just on the edge, and we just need people to take that 45 minutes or an hour and find a blood drive," Creek said.\nPotential donors can go to www.givebloodnow.org to find upcoming blood drives in the Bloomington area. The next campus blood drive will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Indiana Memorial Union.\nIU students now have an added incentive to donate, Creek said. If they give blood anywhere in Indiana, the donation will count in IU's "Battle for Blood" against Purdue. The contest will continue through Nov. 10, Creek said.\nLocal students, including those from IU and area high schools, provide 10 to 15 percent of the blood supply in Bloomington, Creek said.\n"The modern miracles are great, and when you think about being able to add years and years to people's lives," he said, "the demand for blood is going up"