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Show Blood Bank Filled In Utah For Present As some criticism has reached reach-ed the' office of the State Department De-partment of Public Health Dr. William M. McKay, health commissioner, com-missioner, has issued the following follow-ing statement: Many citizens of the state have called the office of the State Health Commission asking for information concerning the contribution con-tribution of blood for the American Ameri-can Red Cross Blood Bank. For the information of the public generally, we wish to advise ad-vise that the State Department of Health established a bloody bank just prior to the declaration' of war. The original plan called for the establishment of blood banks in all communities in the State where there are physicians to administer the plasma. When war was declared the State Defense De-fense Council asked the State Department of Health to expand the blood bank to a total capacity capa-city of 2,000 units' with the understanding un-derstanding that it would be held in reserve for any emergency which might arise in connection with the war. Due to a very liberal response on the part of the citizens of Salt Lake County this was rather quickly accomplished. accom-plished. Fortunately, no emergency has arisen, and the plasma, therefore, there-fore, has been distributed to the various hospitals throughout the State to be used for emergensy transfusions. The liquid plasma as it is processed by the State Department of Health Laboratory Labora-tory must be -used within a reasonable rea-sonable length of time so that no additional blood donors will be accepted until the present supply has been practically exhausted. ex-hausted. The U. S. Government has designated the American Red Cross as the official agency for securing blood donations to be used in our Armed Services. Regulations Reg-ulations and requirements laid down by the National Institute of Health, and the National Research Re-search Council, make it necessary neces-sary that all blood drawn to be processed into dried plasma for use for the Army and Navy must be in the processing laboratory within 24 hours from the time it is taken from the donors. Inasmuch In-asmuch as Utah is outside of the 24-hour zone the offer of the State Department of Health to send blood to the nearest processing pro-cessing plant at Berkeley, Calif., was declined. As soon as the supply of liquid plasma now on hand in the State Department of Health is exhausted blood donors will be called for in the various communities com-munities throughout the State and local plasma banks will be established. |