Central Blood Bank has asked the hospitals it supplies -- including United Community Hospital in Pine Township and UPMC Horizon in Farrell and Greenville -- to delay surgeries due to an insufficient blood supply.

"The decision to delay surgery is one that is not made lightly. It is only done as a last resort in an effort to manage the scarce blood supply," said Dr. Joseph Kiss, medical director of the Central Blood Bank, in a news release.

Hospitals were notified Monday to begin postponing elective surgeries requiring O positive and O negative blood types. The delays were to begin no later than today.

The situation will be reassessed on Friday when the blood bank will determine if surgery postponements should continue, the release said.

"Despite Central Blood Bank's pleas to the community for blood donations and recommendations for directed and autologous donations, the region's blood supply remains dismal, forcing implementation of drastic measures," the release said.

The Pittsburgh-based blood bank has donation centers at UPMC Horizon, Greenville, and at the Pine Grove Village Shopping Center in Pine Township.

United Community Hospital has not made any decision regarding surgery postponements, said Kathy Lehman, director of community relations at the hospital.

Officials at UPMC Horizon are listening to the blood bank's suggestions, but patients who have elective surgery scheduled should speak with their personal physicians to determine whether or not they will be affected, said Pam Neideritter, UPMC Horizon public relations representative.

Ms. Neideritter said the hospital is also suggesting patients make autologous donations -- or donate their own blood -- before surgeries.

Elective surgeries at the hospital have been delayed, but not canceled, starting today, said Tammy Stevens, blood bank specialist at UPMC Horizon. Dr. Rajnikant Amin, medical director of laboratory services, said the delays affect a very minor portion of the population.

Ms. Stevens and Ed Castor, director of laboratory services at UPMC Horizon, said the blood supply has not been up to inventory for some time, but this is the first time surgery delays were requested.

Central Blood Bank has had a blood shortage all year, tracing back to the period following Sept. 11. Donations dropped off at the end of November and have been declining ever since, said Deborah Ervin, spokeswoman for the Central Blood Bank.

If the blood bank receives between 1,000 and 1,500 units above what is scheduled before Friday, surgeries would no longer have to be postponed, Ms. Ervin said.

The blood bank needs about 2,500 units more than scheduled to get out of the shortage, she said.

New and eligible donors should call (866) 366-6671 or log onto the Web site to schedule an appointment.

Sharon Regional Health System gets its blood supply from the American Red Cross and has not received any requests to delay surgery, said Ed Newmeyer, director of marketing at Sharon Regional. Although the Red Cross has not asked hospitals to delay surgeries, its blood inventory is being called "critical," standing at 1-to-1è-day supplies of most blood types, well below desired five-day levels, according to a news release.

The Red Cross collected 186 pints at its Blood Feud 2002 on Monday in Sharon, which was short of its 195-pint goal.

The Mercer County chapter of the Red Cross will hold a blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on Morefield Road in Hermitage.