Agency sees continuous flow of blood donations after 9-11

Iowa’s largest blood collection agency is looking back on a big haul for the month of September.Instead of feeling helpless after the terrorist attacks September 11th, many of us decided to do our part by donating a pint of blood. Stacy Sime, at the Blood Center of Central Iowa, says donations have been heavy for weeks.An average September would’ve seen 56-hundred pints taken in, but this past month nearly topped six thousand units of blood. Sime says they’re now booked through October and are making appointments for the first two weeks of November. Sime says it’s extremely rare to have blood donors booked solid a month in advance but it’s the type of thing she’s come to expect from Iowans. While there have been many first-time donors lately, Sime says there’s been no boost in the number of people getting rejections. Blood can be rejected because a person has taken certain drugs or has tested positive for H-I-V, hepatitis or certain sexually transmitted diseases. The blood center serves 35 Iowa hospitals in 33 counties. Sime says 32-thousand people need blood nationwide every day.