Month: January 2019

Red Cross issues emergency call for blood donors

A donation shortfall over the winter holidays is prompting the American Red Cross to issue an emergency call for blood donors to give now to prevent a blood shortage from continuing throughout winter and affecting patient care.

The Red Cross collected more than 27,000 fewer blood and platelet donations the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s than needed to sustain a sufficient blood supply.

During this period, about 1,350 fewer blood drives were hosted by volunteer sponsor groups than required to meet patient needs as busy holiday schedules kept many donors away.

“Many people may not realize that blood products are perishable, and the only source of lifesaving blood for patients is volunteer blood donors,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president, Red Cross Biomedical Services. “When donations decline – as they did around the holidays and may further decline if severe winter weather and flu season pick up – lifesaving medical treatments could be delayed.”

Right now, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of most blood types on hand, well below the ideal five-day supply needed to respond to emergencies and daily hospital needs. Blood products are currently being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in.

“We hope people can resolve to save lives now – when there is an emergency need – as well as throughout the year,” Numark said.

All eligible donors, especially blood donors with type O blood, are urged to make an appointment to give in the coming days to help restock the shelves for hospital patients. Eligible donors can find a blood donation opportunity and schedule an appointment to donate by using the free Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Volunteer blood drive hosts are also critically needed to prevent the shortage from worsening this winter.

An upcoming Red Cross blood drive in Wyandotte County is planned Jan. 25 at Prairie View at Village West. The Red Cross blood drive will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, at 11200 Delaware Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. Walk-ins are welcome or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for more information.

Residents also may donate blood at other blood drives listed at www.RedCrossBlood.org.

Gov. Kelly has her work cut out fixing state government in Kansas

Analysis

by Jim McLean, Kansas News Service

Think of Laura Kelly as the fix-it governor.

As in she needs to fix what, by most accounts, is a state government in desperate need of repair.

For the first year or two of her administration, her biggest job will be restoring the capacity of state agencies crippled by budget cuts and the exodus of employees with the skills and institutional knowledge needed to keep the trains running on time.

Or, more to the point, balance the state budget, adequately fund schools and ensure that foster kids are placed in safe and stable homes.

She may want to start with high-profile initiatives to reduce the sales tax on food, restore the budget cuts suffered by universities and reboot the multi-billion-dollar highway-building program that former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback abandoned because of self-inflicted money problems.

Reality demands a more cautious approach. Kelly must closely monitor spending while triaging needs and addressing the most urgent problems. Ensuring the safety of foster children in the custody of the Department for Children and Families is likely at the top of that list.

Expectations for a new road program run high, but Kelly needs to first give new secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation Julie Lorenz time to rebuild the agency so that it can do the basics — plow snow and mend potholes without borrowing money from the bond market.

At the Kansas Department of Commerce, incoming Secretary David Toland must rebuild the rudderless agency’s presence in the eco-devo world. It’s one that’s been systematically diminished by understaffed programs and the closing of most of the state’s trade offices around the world.

Some might argue that restoring a basic level of competency to Kansas government sets a low bar for Kelly. But given the work that needs to be done, it seems a fair measuring stick.

Let’s remember, Kelly was a reluctant candidate. Former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, among others, had to talk her into running. Perhaps that was because as a longtime member of the Senate’s budget-writing committee, she had a notion of how difficult the job would be.

Still, after some coercion and a lot of contemplation — done during long walks along the wooded bluffs overlooking the Kansas River and Cedar Crest, the governor’s residence — Kelly concluded she could handle the job.

Then she got elected. Sitting through her first budget briefings, she said, it became apparent that the “devastation” was “even worse than I thought.”

Regardless, it’s now Kelly’s job to fix things.

Our first indication of how she plans to do that comes this week when she lays out her budget priorities in a speech to a joint session of the Legislature.

We should all be paying attention.

Jim McLean is the chief political reporter for the Kansas News Service. He’s covered politics and state government for more than 35 years. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.

See more at https://www.kcur.org/post/jim-mclean-gov-elect-kelly-has-her-work-cut-out-fixing-state-government-kansas

Robbery reported during snow shoveling

Snow shoveling was much harder than expected on South 37th Street on Sunday, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, police chief.

Two victims were shoveling snow in the 1600 block of South 37th when they were approached by two male suspects, police stated.

One of the suspects pointed a gun at the victims and demanded their wallets and phones, according to police. Then the suspects fled, taking the wallets and phones with them.