because it has had to exclude a third of donors due to fears about mad cow disease in Europe.

While stocks are not at a critical level, the Red Cross Blood Donor Centre could hit a shortfall if there is a sudden demand for large quantities of blood.

In February, the Donor Centre stopped taking supplies from any person who has spent a cumulative six months in Europe between 1980 and 1996.

It followed recommendations from the United States Food and Drug Administration about keeping the rare brain disease new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) -- the human equivalent of mad cow disease -- out of the blood supply.

There is no evidence that nvCJD can be transferred through blood transfusion, but health officials are taking a cautious approach.

Now the Blood Donor Centre is trying to encourage corporate donations so that local stocks can be topped up.

The corporate blood donor programme allows the Donor Centre to make a single call to a company if there is a sudden demand for a large quantity of blood.

Blood Donor Centre chair Barbara Cooper said: "We don't have a vital shortage and we don't want to create a panic situation, but if we had to have a large quantity of one type of blood or an emergency or a disaster, we could run into problems.

"We are not running low because our regular stocks are keeping up because we had a good donor base before the deferrals began.

"But we are inviting companies to join our corporate donor programme. A company can appoint a liaison officer so that if we need a large quantity we can call the liaison officer of that company.

"The advantage is we can secure large quantities of blood with one telephone call rather than 25.'' Bermuda College has become the first student organisation to join the scheme.

Other members involved are American International, AON Intermediaries, Bacardi International, Bank of Bermuda, Bank of Butterfield, BELCO, BF&M Insurance, Ernst and Young, Esso Ltd., Marsh Management, Bermuda Police Service, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Renaissance Reinsurance, and Telecom Bermuda.

Companies interested in joining the corporate donor programme should contact Mrs. Cooper on 295-7178.

BUSINESS BUC