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State and National Red Cross Chapters Seeking Blood Donations

The American Red Cross says it is dealing with a chronic reserve blood shortage. The organization doesn't have the supply to keep up with the average rate of blood transfusions, which is once every three seconds. Barry Porter is executive director of the Triangle Red Cross. He says it is a daily struggle to convince those that can give to actually do so.

Barry Porter: Only five percent of the population gives blood where about 57 percent of the population is eligible to give blood. So it's not only the unwillingness but the awareness issue. People get busy in their own lives unless they see emergencies in front of them and they don't take the time to do it with all the schedules and hecticness of the day, so we have to ramp up the awareness.

The Red Cross says while all blood types are needed, O-positive, O-negative, A-negative or B-negative are in the shortest supply. You can log on to red-cross-blood-dot org if you want to donate.

Gurnal Scott joined North Carolina Public Radio in March 2012 after several stops in radio and television. After graduating from the College of Charleston in his South Carolina hometown, he began his career in radio there. He started as a sports reporter at News/Talk Radio WTMA and won five Sportscaster of the Year awards. In 1997, Gurnal moved on to television as general assignment reporter and weekend anchor for WCSC-TV in Charleston. He anchored the market's top-rated weekend newscasts until leaving Charleston for Memphis, TN in 2002. Gurnal worked at WPTY-TV for two years before returning to his roots in radio. He joined the staff of Memphis' NewsRadio 600 WREC in 2004 eventually rising to News Director. In 2006, Raleigh news radio station WPTF came calling and he became the station's chief correspondent. Gurnal’s reporting has been honored by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, the North Carolina Associated Press, and the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.
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