Red Cross Needs Your Blood Donations

We greatly appreciate the generosity of the public to help stock hospital shelves for patients in need. But this crisis isn’t over.  Blood drives continue to be canceled at an alarming rate – more than 9,000 so far – but we continue to urge blood drive hosts to maintain scheduled blood drives whenever possible as we look for new locations where people can give to make up for the nearly 300,000 fewer blood donations. 
Usually we see a shortage in blood due to schools being out or a natural disaster in a certain area of the country.  The remaining unshaped portion of the country can pull the weight. This is a national crisis.  It doesn’t work the same as before.   We need blood now, 56 days from now, and every 56 days after that.  We have to do this consistently, because patients still need blood amidst the covid-19 outbreak.

We are taking the following precautions as well as maintaining the level of cleanliness as before:

• Checking temperatures of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy.
• Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, as well as throughout the donation process.
• Following social distancing between donors including entry, donation and refreshment areas.
• Increasing enhanced disinfecting of surfaces and equipment.
• Emphasizing the importance of appointments to help manage the flow of donors at drives.
  

Making an appointment is more important than ever so they can be ready to accommodate your donation and keep things safe and efficient. You can find a donation center near you and schedule your appointment today at www.redcrossblood.org or via the Blood Donor app on your app store.