Hoxworth seeks blood donations

Hospital patients in Greater Cincinnati need more blood.

Despite some recently successful blood drives, the Hoxworth Blood Center issued an emergency appeal for more blood donors today because demand has been outpacing supply.

As of Monday, Hoxworth's blood supply was 433 units below acceptable levels for Type O blood and 210 units low on Type A. Hospitals have recently used large amounts of blood for organ transplants and to treat victims of car accidents and shootings, said Hoxworth spokeswoman Meg Wilkens.

Hoxworth supplies blood to 24 hospitals in 15 counties. Officials hope public response to the emergency appeal will avoid the need for other steps, such as delaying elective surgeries.

For information about donating blood, call 451-0910.

Hospital auxiliary to donate $180,000

The University Hospital Auxiliary, a volunteer network formed 46 years ago to support special projects at the hospital, is scheduled to present a check for $180,000 today to Dr. Randy Wolf to support his work in robotic surgery.

Wolf, a cardiothoracic surgeon recently recruited back to town from Ohio State University, holds several appointments including director of the UC Center for Surgical Innovation.

The funds raised by the auxiliary include portions of money spent at hospital vending machines, a gift shop and a deli, plus proceeds of special sales of books, leather goods and jewelry.

Ohio woman dies in Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO - An Ohio woman running in the Chicago Marathon died shortly after completing the race Sunday.

Race officials say the woman collapsed shortly after the finish.

A family member identified her to the Chicago Sun-Times as Rachael Townsend of The Plains, Ohio, a community near Athens.

Townsend was an Ohio University physical education instructor who began teaching there this fall, said Ming Li, director of the university's school of Recreation and Sport Sciences.

After she collapsed, Townsend was given immediate medical treatment and transferred to Michael Reese Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Race officials did not release the cause of death.

Homemade airplane crashes at Lunken

EAST END - A homemade, experimental airplane crashed Monday afternoon at Lunken Airport after failing to gain altitude during take-off.

Police said the single-engine, one passenger plane crashed on airport property around 4:40 p.m. The pilot, whose name was not released, was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. The plane was registered to Samuel Smiley of Mount Washington, but it was unclear Monday evening if Smiley was piloting the aircraft.

Compiled from staff and wire reports